Don't Fall Reluctant Heroes
by TaeRiNftw
Summary: Alice Arlet (OC) has joined the Survey Corps. She is placed in Levi's squad and fell in love with him. Can she maintain her position in Levi's team? How will she handle the upcoming titan fights? Will she accept life and death? (LevixOC, One-sided ErwinxOC) [Rated M for slight gore and possible future chapters] [Note: I ONLY own my OC]
1. Chapter 1

**~This first chapter has been revised/re-written for improvement purposes.~**

 **My apologies for any grammar or spelling errors you've come across.**

 **All credit goes to Hajime Isayama for creating such a wonderful Anime!**

 **Hope ya'll enjoy reading!**

* * *

"Live! Live! Please be alive!"

I shouted while performing chest compression to a fallen soldier that was attacked by a titan.

We, the Survey Corps, were out on an expedition outside of the walls. This just so happened to be my very first expedition outside the Walls since I joined the Scout Regiment about three months ago. I was just a cadet at the time, graduated as Number One and decided to join the Survey Corps instead of the Military Police. Surprisingly, Commander Erwin has placed me under Captain Levi's Special Operations Squad due to the fact that he was impressed with my skills. It was such an honor to be placed in this squad. Being surrounded by my squad, I'm practically the youngest being only Twenty years old. According to my squad mates, they all claimed that I'm a prodigy like Captain Levi.

"Don't die on me dammit!" I yelled once more as I applied more chest compression on the soldier's chest.

Unfortunately, I wasn't getting any response from him and I just kept adding pressure onto his bloody chest.

"Arlet." Levi called out as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "He's dead. You can stop now."

 _My name is Alice Arlet and this is the first time someone has died in my arms._

"I'm so sorry." Were the words I could muster up as tears streamed down my face and I saluted towards the corpse.

I could feel my hands trembling and my heart pounding endlessly. _This is how it feels when you lose a fellow soldier in battle. How awful._

"You did good Arlet. All we can do is to stay alive. No matter what."

I stood up and faced my Captain. _Levi Ackerman. The short, black haired, intimidating Captain whom the entire squad respects. Despite the fact that I've only met him three months ago, I've actually fallen in love with him._

I don't even care if he doesn't return my feelings. I'm content just being around him and being his loyal squad member. Just having him around always motivates me to work harder and do the best I can to protect humanity.

"Heichou! Alice!" Petra called out as she landed from her mobility gear and stood next to us. "Commander Erwin gave the sign to retreat."

Levi and I gazed at the sky and noticed the blue flare. I could hear him click his tongue in annoyance. "Tch. We didn't even make it that far."

He was right. We just left Wall Maria about two hours ago and yet, many soldiers have either died or faced critical injuries.

"Where's everyone else?" I questioned Petra.

"Right here." A voiced called from behind.

Levi, Petra and I turned around to see Eld, Gunther and Bozado walking towards us. They regrouped with us as we all watched the blue smoke fade into the sky.

"Pft. Can't believe we're turning back this early." Bozado complained as he crossed his arms.

"No complaints." Eld said sternly. "We do whatever it is we're told."

Bozado tried to click his tongue but ended up biting it. "Ouch!"

"Oi. Gather up your horses. We're leave with Commander Erwin." Captain Levi said as he started walking ahead.

"Yes sir!" We all shouted and did as we were told.

* * *

Once we entered the gates of Wall Maria, we walked through the District of Shinganshina and all eyes were on us Scout Regiments. They were the look of happiness and pride I thought we would get, each citizen were giving us the look of sadness, disappointment and anger. There were even loud whispers among the crowds and they were not words of praises.

I couldn't help but to frown at the sight of the citizens. _They shouldn't give us those looks. They don't even know what it looks like outside those walls._ _It's tough being out there. I learned it the hard way._

"Don't frown Alice." Petra said, walking her with horse beside me. "We tried our best and it's just an outcome that we have to face."

I looked at Petra, a frown still shown on my face. "I'm just a bit discouraged from this expedition. I guess I'm just overwhelmed."

"Hey, cheer up kiddo." Gunther said as he, Eld and Bozado joined the conversation. "It's best to ignore what they say."

"Yeah." Bozado chimed in. "They usually say a lot of selfish. Can't say I blame them."

I turned towards Eld, he stayed silent. and only just looked at me. My attention went back at the disappointing faces. I lowered my head and let out a heavy sigh. _They're right. I shouldn't let this get to me. I joined the Survey Corps to save humanity. Even if it means being able to protect the most selfish people out there._

"Thanks guys." I said quietly, raising my head and giving a slight smile towards them. _I'm grateful to consider my comrades as 'friends'. Even after knowing them for a such a short period of time. I'm glad that I bonded with them pretty well._

I looked back at the crowd and made eye contact with a certain young brother of mine who always gives me a welcoming smile. He stood in the crowd with his two best friends, a young boy named Eren and his adoptive sister, Mikasa, whom are also a family friend of mine.

As I looked at my litter brother, Armin, he gave me a warm smile and waved. I couldn't help but to wave back at him while Mikasa and Eren watched the Survey Corps walk past them.

"Is that your little brother?" I heard Petra ask.

"Yeah. His name is Armin."

"What an adorable kid." She complimented while I chuckled at her comment.

Armin's the only family I got. Our parents died a long time ago from natural causes and Armin lived with our Grandma when I attended the academy. Unfortunately, Grandma had passed on due to old age when I graduated from the academy. Now, Armin and I only have each other left. Eren's parents were good friends with mine and they always had their doors open for the two of us to come by whenever we're lonely. I will be forever grateful to Carla and Grisha Jaeger. Same goes for Eren and Mikasa. They always protect Armin from bullies whenever I'm not around and I'm blessed to have caring people in our lives.

* * *

Back at the stables near headquarters, my comrades and I were unsaddling our horses while the other soldiers were carrying corpses out of the wagon to prepare for the memorials.

"We keep losing soldiers." Gunther said sadly.

"I know." Petra replied quietly.

I let out a heavy sigh and petted my horses nose. "You did good Artemis." I lightly kissed Artemis's nose as she neighed quietly.

We all continued to put our things away in silence as the thought of the fallen soldier came across my mind. Being outside the Walls for the first time was the most intimidating thing I've been through, despite the intense training back at the academy. We were travelling through flat grounds which gave a disadvantage to our devices. Unfortunately, some of us were attacked by titans and I tried my best to save them.

"Alice." Eld called out to me as I turned to him. "This was your first expedition. I know it's not easy but it's something you'll have to get use to. This is what you signed up for and it's what we're going to be doing for a living. All I can say is to be prepared and don't die on us. You are in the Special Operations Squad after all."

I continued to look at Eld and gave out a slight frown. _Guess I got lectured for feeling so down by Eld._

"A little harsh ain't it Eld?" Bozado said as he blew raspberries with his tongue and proceeded to bite it.

"Hm?" Eld looked at Bozado in confusion.

"You're so mean Eld!" Petra shouted.

"Eh?" He proceed to look at Petra in confusion. "How am I mean?"

"It is her first expedition after all. Give the kid the break." Gunther said.

"Hey!" I shouted. "I'm not a kid."

Gunther let out a slight chuckled and patted my head. "Sorry about that kiddo." I stuck my tongue out at him as he let out another chuckle.

Eld cleared his throat and then looked at me. "I didn't mean to be harsh on you Alice."

I turned my frown into a smile and accepted Eld's apology. "Don't worry about it Eld. I'll be more cautious on our next expedition."

"You know, on Olou and Petra's first expedition, they peed their pants." He said, looking at our two mortified friends.

My eyes grew wide as I stared at them as well. "You guys peed yourselves!?" I couldn't help but to laugh at Elds' comment. Gunther chimed in on the laughter as well as Eld while Bozado and Petra kept their mortified look on their faces.

"S-Shut up Eld!" Bozado said as his face turned red.

"No fair! You didn't have to tell Alice about that!" Petra yelled as she lightly slapped Eld's shoulder.

The three of us continued laughing for another minute until we were approached by Captain Levi.

"Oi. What's all the ruckus about?" Levi said, eyeing the five of us.

We all quickly shut our mouths and saluted towards our Captain. "N-Nothing Levi! We were just joking around." I said, smiling towards him. Levi just eyed me for a couple seconds which made my cheeks feel hot and heart thumping like crazy. "All of you, go home. Get some rest." Was all Levi said and then he left the stables.

"Yes sir!" The five of us saluted towards Levi once more and then lowered our arms.

"I guess it's time I see my father. Farewell guys." Petra said as she headed out.

"I should go check on my wife. See how she's feeling." Eld said.

"Be sure to say hi to her from all of us." Gunther said.

"Make sure she's eating and taking good care of herself. I wouldn't want anything bad happen to your unborn child." I added with a smile.

Eld nodded his head and then headed out.

"Let's go Olou. Time to see our families." Gunther said as he swung an arm around Bozado and started dragging the man out.

"Ugh. You're troublesome." Bozado said as the two left the stables.

I finished brushing Artemis's nose and placed all my belongings away. "See you later Artemis." I said while locking up the stables.

* * *

Walking through my hometown of Shinganshina District, I see young children running around and adults having normal conversations. I smiled at the sight of our citizens. _These are the people I'm fighting for. I will do whatever I can to ensure that humanity will not be wiped out by titans._

"Oh? That you Alice?"

Just up ahead in a quiet alley, there was a Garrison Regiment squad hanging around. _Most likely drinking while on duty again._ The person that called out to me is actually the Captain of this specific squad, Hannes. He's actually a good friend of mine since I met him during my academy days.

"Hello Hannes." I greeted the drunkard as the two of us approached each other.

"It's so great to see you Alice." He slurred his words and was walking a bit wobbly.

The moment I smelled the stench of alcohol, I quickly pinched my nose and fanned the air with my hand. "Hannes! You reek of alcohol!" He responded by giving me his drunk smile and I shook my head. "You're drunk as well." I moved my hand from my nose and held my hands to my hip. "You know Hannes, we're not supposed to drink while on duty."

"Sorry Alice!" Hannes spoke as he took a sip from his beverage. "We're just taking a little break you know."

I let out a heavy sigh and lightly poked Hannes' head in which he immediately fell to the ground. "What would you do if Eren, Mikasa or Armin saw you like this again? Don't you think you're going to end up being a bad influence to the kiddos?"

"I know! I know!" Hannes said as he held his arms up in defeat. His face was completely red and I could still smell the stench of alcohol from the ground. In the end, I helped Hannes up as he struggled to maintain his balance. Suddenly, the two of us were approached by Hannes' comrades.

"Hannes!" One of them called out to the drunk Captain. "This yer girlfriend?"

"She's cute neh?" Another guy said as he leaned in a bit to take a closer look at my face.

I pinched my nose again due to the overwhelming smell of alcohol and tried my best to back away.

"Hey! Do you wanna go out with me little Miss?" A third guy asked as he placed his hand on my shoulder.

I placed my palm to my forehead and sighed. "Sorry guys. I'm not interested."

"Why not? You already got a man or something?" Said the first guy.

I felt my cheeks getting hot for a brief second since the thought of Levi came across my mind. "N-No...I don't..."

The third guy removed his hand from my shoulder and sipped his beverage. "Then why not? I won't bite."

"Oi! I had dibs on her first!" Shouted the second soldier. Eventually, the three men began bickering with each other until Hannes stepped forward and stood in between me and the three men.

"That's enough!" Hannes shouted. "Stay away from Alice!"

All of us stood there and stared at Hannes, wide eyed. "C-Captain?" One of them spoke quietly.

"She is off limits! Alice is not to be messed with! Do I make myself clear!?"

His comrades nodded their heads, apologized to me in unison and ran back to their spots in the quiet alley. _Even though Hannes can be a complete goof and drunk, he is pretty protective of me. Same goes for the kids, he looks after the three of them as well which definitely takes off the stress and worry I have on them. Especially for Armin's sake._

"Thanks Hannes." I said with a smile as he turned to face towards me.

"Remember Alice, I always got your back. Same motto when I saw you as a mere cadet." He spoke with a wide grin on his face.

My eyebrow twitched at the smell of alcohol from his breath but I managed to ignore it and returned the grin with a wider smile. "Well, I gotta head home. Armin's probably waiting for me."

"Okay Alice. Oh and welcome back from your first expedition. You're a brave kid." Hannes said as he saluted.

I returned the salute and waved goodbye at my good friend.

* * *

"I'm home Armin!" I shouted as I entered my home and was greeted with a vacant home. "Armin?" I checked through each room and our small backyard but Armin was nowhere to be seen. _Maybe he went to Eren's home after seeing us return from our expedition. I guess I should change to my normal clothes and head over to the Jaeger residence._ With that, I changed my clothes and made my way towards Eren's home.

Once I arrived there, I could distinctly hear laughter coming from inside. Among those laughter, I could hear Armin's as well. _There you are little brother._

I lightly knocked on the door and was greeted by Grisha. "Hello Grisha." I greeted him with a smile.

"Hello Alice." He said with a warm smile. "Come inside. I'm sure you already had a feeling Armin was here."

"I figured since I came home to an empty household." I jokingly said as Grisha stepped aside and I entered the home.

I walked towards the dining table to see Armin, Eren and Mikasa having their little discussion. "I'm home guys." I greeted the three of them with a grin.

"Sis!" Armin shouted in excitement. "Welcome home!" He hopped off his seat as I pulled him to a hug.

"How's my little brother doing?" I said while ruffling his hair. "Good." He answered.

"Oh my. It's good to see you Alice." Carla said, coming out from the kitchen. "Would you like to help me cook?"

"Sure!" I said in joy and assisted Carla for dinner.

Once everything was prepared, we all gathered around the table and had our meals. Carla, Grisha and I were mainly the ones talking while the kids were listening in on our conversations. As soon as our laughter died down, Eren asked a question that I knew he'd ask.

"So Alice, how was your expedition? What does it look like outside the Walls? Did you see what those titans look like?" He asked with such enthusiasm.

Grisha cleared his throat to stop Eren from asking more questions. "Now Eren, let's not bother Alice about her job. She's probably overwhelmed and tired after today."

"Oh don't worry about it Grisha. I don't mind answering Eren's questions." I said, giving Eren a reassuring smile. "You know Eren, today was my first time going on an expedition since I joined the Survey Corps. Being outside the Walls was a bit intimidating and it was pretty scary. The point of our expedition today was to seek life outside the Walls."

"Were you able to find something?" Carla asked.

Sadly, I shook my head and stared at the wooden table as images of our fallen soldiers came into mind. "Unfortunately, we weren't able to get much done. Majority of us were ambushed by titans and we lost a good number of soldiers."

"Did you kill any titans?" Eren asked, passion clearly seen in his eyes.

"Yeah. I did." Was the only thing I could muster up.

"Were you terrified to see those titans up close Sis? It is your first expedition after all..." Armin said quietly, lowering his head.

I looked at my younger brother and gave him a warm smile. "Yeah. Pretty terrifying but in the end, I had to be brave. My goal is protect every one of you no matter what. That's what I signed up for you know."

"Oh man!" Eren shouted in excitement. "I can't wait to join the Survey Corps! I want to be a part of the Special Operations Squad! Just like you Alice."

"Eh? My squad?" I questioned him.

Eren nodded his head. "Yes! It's so awesome!"

I couldn't help but to smile at Eren. It's good to see someone like him be so determined at such a young age. I guess it's sort of a good thing that we were able to be some kind of inspiration to others. Looking at Mikasa, she remained silent the entire conversation.

 _I remember the day Grisha and Carla adopted her. Such a tragedy for her parents to be murdered for stupid reasons. Poor girl. At least Mikasa is safe with a wonderful family now._

"What about you Mikasa?" I spoke to the young girl. "Anything in particular you want to do?"

She looked at me with a surprised look but soon dug her face into her red scarf. "N-Not really. I'll go wherever Eren goes."

"I see."

Grisha sat up from his seat and picked up his briefcase. "That reminds me. I'll be going away for a business trip tomorrow."

"Really?" Carla said, surprised to hear this sudden news from her husband. "Where will you be going darling?"

"A small village within Wall Rose. I received word that there was a disease spreading around and they're seeking my help." Grisha answered as he packed some medicine with his other belongings.

I looked at Carla. She seemed sad at first but then nodded her head in understanding. _Grisha has been going on more business trips recently. I do wonder what else he does. Sometimes it seems like he's hiding something from Carla and the kids. Too bad it's not my business to ask._

"Well, I think it's time Armin and I head home. It's getting late." I said as I gathered the empty plates and placed them into the sink.

"So soon Alice?" A disappointed Eren asked. He probably wanted to hear more about my expedition.

"Sorry kiddo. I need to get my beauty rest." I said jokingly with a smile.

"Thank you for coming over you two." Carla said as she gave Armin and I her kind smile.

"T-Thank you for having us here." Armin said shyly.

We waved at Eren, Mikasa and Carla while Grisha walked us to the door. "Stay safe on your way home now." Grisha said.

"You have a safe business trip Grisha. I hope everyone in that village will be okay." I said, looking at the doctor.

Grisha had a strange look on his face but he tried to cover it with a smile. "Yeah. I'll be safe. Goodbye."

With that Armin and I left the Jaeger residence and started walking home.

* * *

 _Grisha had an odd expression on his face when I mentioned the village he was visiting tomorrow. It seemed like there might be more to it than just a disease spreading around. If only I can know what Grisha is really doing._

"Sis?" Armin interrupted my train of thought.

"Yes Armin?"

I looked at my brother and noticed that he had a sad look on his face. "Did something happen today?" I asked him.

"Sort of." He answered with a frown.

I stopped walking and kneel in front of Armin. "Spit it out Armin. What happened today?" Making eye contact with him, Armin finally caved in and let out a sigh.

"I got bullied again."

I frowned slightly when I heard that. "Was it from the same guys?"

"Yeah. Mikasa and Eren came to rescue me again." Armin said, sounding disappointed.

I placed my hands on his cheeks and lightly pinched them. "Why the long face huh? Your friends came to your rescue."

"I can't defend myself Sis. Eren and Mikasa are always there whenever I'm in trouble." Armin said, letting out his frustration at himself. "I want to be stronger so that I can handle my own problems. I want to be strong like you Alice. That's why, I decided to join the military as well. I want to become a strong soldier and make you proud of me."

My eyes widened in shock after hearing this from Armin. "What? Are you sure Armin? It's really dangerous out there if you ever join the Scout Regiment." I moved my hands away and stood back up with my hands to my hips. "You can join the Garrison or Military Police. It's safer and you'll still be a strong soldier."

Armin shook his head and gave me a fierce look. "No. I want to be where you are Sis. This is something I want and I will not give up on that."

A smile grew across my face as I patted his head. "This is something I'd never expect to hear from you little brother. You should know that I'm always proud of you no matter what Armin." I placed my hand on his shoulder and gave him a slight nudge for us to continue walking. "Now, let's go home. I have to give my Captain a written report in the morning."

"Okay."


	2. Chapter 2

**~This chapter has been revised/rewritten for improvement purposes~**

 **My apologies for any spelling or grammar errors you've come across.**

 **All credit goes to Hajime Isayama on creating Attack on Titan. I ONLY own Alice Arlet, my OC.**

* * *

 _*knock* *knock* knock*_

Those were the only sounds I've been making for the past minute.

 _knock* *knock* *knock*_

"Captain Levi?"

Here I am, standing outside my Captain's office door to hand in my report but there's no response. _Is Levi not in his office?_

 _*knock* *knock* *knock*_

"Captain Levi. It's Alice. I'm here to drop off my report." I said, knocking his door once more.

"What?" An annoyed Levi said as he opened the door. He stood there with his hair ruffled up and dark circles shown under his eyes.

I couldn't help but to blush at the sight of this. _Captain Levi looks kind of cute like this..._

"I-I'm s-sorry Captain Levi." I spoke up, saluting nervously towards him. "W-were you taking a nap?"

"I was." He answered, still annoyed. "It's whatever. I'm up now."

He moved to the side and opened the door wider, allowing me to step in. As I entered the room, Levi sat back at his chair as I stood in front of his desk.

"Here's my written report about yesterday's expedition." I said, placing the sheets of paper on top of his desk.

Captain Levi grabbed sheet of papers and skimmed through my report. He then neatly placed them on top of a different stack of papers. "Good. Now, let's discuss about yesterday."

I cocked an eyebrow and stared at my Squad Leader. "What about yesterday?"

"Since yesterday was your first expedition, I'll be less harsh on you." He spoke while grabbing a clean cloth and wiping off some dust from his desk. "If you see soldiers who are grabbed by titans, don't be reckless in trying to save them. You can get killed yourself."

I sensed the serious tone in his voice as I twirled my fingers behind my back. "S-Sorry Heichou...I guess I wasn't thinking when I saw a comrade in the hands of a titan."

 _He's talking about yesterday...when I tried to save one of our fallen soldier. I witnessed the man get grabbed by on those them and got bit by it. I remember rushing towards that titan and killing it instantly. That soldier was lying on the ground, coughing up blood and not breathing. That's why I performed the chest compression on him. It's a shame I didn't realize that he died. It was definitely something I wasn't used to yet._

"We've all been there Arlet. Petra was like you on her first expedition. If a soldier is on their last breaths, do your best to ensure that they died in peace and not in vain. That way, these soldiers can feel like heroes in death."

I didn't say anything. I just stood there and stared at my Captain. _I thought Levi would be more harsh and blunt towards me._

"Keep this in mind." Levi spoke as he clasp his hands, placed his elbows on hard surface and rest his chin on the back of his hands. "I don't normally show leniency or acts of kindness towards others. Consider yourself lucky Arlet."

My cheeks grew hot after hearing him say that. I could even feel my heart beating a bit faster as a smile grew on my face. "I'm glad to hear this from you Levi." Instead of saluting, I bowed slightly towards him, a smile still on my face. "Thank you for this discussion."

As I lift my head up, our blue eyes met and I couldn't help but to feel myself melt from the sight of those eyes. _Sometimes I wonder what Captain Levi's thinking. He's always so quiet, calm and expressionless. He is humanity's strongest soldier after all, maybe it's best for us to not know what Levi's thinking. If anything, Commander Erwin might be the only person who knows that Levi's thinking about._

"Whatever." Levi said, snapping me out from my thoughts as he fixed his ascot. "I just want to remind you that you're only on my squad because Commander Erwin placed you there. Not me."

I lightly gulped in hesitation as I braced myself for what might actually be his scolding demeanor.

"Usually, I handpicked the strongest to be placed under me." He stood up from his chair and walked up to me.

I could feel my heart beating faster as he takes a step closer towards me. "I-I'm sorry if I've been a burden to you Captain..." I twirled my fingers behind my back once again as I felt Levi's hand on my left shoulder. He stood aside of me and spoke quietly. "I always trust Erwin's judgement. Although you've been on my team for a few months, I want you to impress me with your skills. You were top ranked from your cadet days right? So until then, keep trying if I'm going to consider you as one of humanity's strongest soldier like me."

My face grew hot and my palms were getting sweaty. _He's willing to consider me as one of humanity's strongest soldier? Like him? That's unbelievable..._ "Yes Captain Levi!" I yelled out, saluting towards him immediately. "I will show you what I'm capable of and prove to you why Commander Erwin has placed me under you!"

I could faintly see the corner of Captain Levi's lips curl up but then went back to his expressionless structure. "Good. I need you to go to Erwin now."

"Eh? Why?" I asked, staring at him and blinking in confusion.

"He mentioned about wanting to speak to you after you handed in your report." He answered, walking back to his desk and sorting out the sheets of paper. "Don't make him wait too long. Get going."

"Y-Yes sir!"

With that, I saluted towards my Captain once more and exited his office. I made my way upstairs and walked towards Commander Erwin's office. Standing just outside his door, I let out a nervous sigh and knocked. "Come in." I slowly opened the door and headed in. Commander Erwin was sitting on his chair, facing towards the window. I saluted towards the man. "Good morning Commander Erwin. I was told by Captain Levi that you wanted to speak to me sir?"

"Yes." Erwin spoke as he slowly spun his chair towards me. "Please have a seat Alice."

Without any hesitation, I sat on the chair and stared at my Commander. "Have I done something wrong Commander Erwin?" I asked him, feeling a little nervous.

He shook his head and folded his arms across his chest. "Alice. Do you remember what you told me when you first joined the Survey Corps?"

"Y-Yes. I do." I said, looking at my Commander in confusion. "The very day I joined this regiment, I mentioned that my purpose as a soldier was to protect humanity and live as a strong warrior." I tightened my fists as I took deep breaths. "I also said that I'm willing risk my life in order to save others."

Erwin nodded his head as he unfolded his arms and rest his elbows on his desk. "That was exactly what you told me. You're a very compassionate person Alice. You're also very strong-minded and well skilled."

As I sat in my seat, I raised an eyebrow at Erwin. _What's with all these compliments all of a sudden? That's quite odd of Erwin..._

"Can I ask you a question sir?"

"What is it?"

"Why is it that you placed me in the Special Operations Squad?" I asked, not wanting to offend Erwin's wisdom. "I mean, I thought this Elite squad were to be handpicked by Captain Levi himself."

Commander Erwin just stared at me for a long minute before responding, "Even though you weren't picked by Levi, I strongly believe you have potential to be a part of his squad. As a cadet, you were highly observed by each commanding officer and sought out to have you join our branches. In the end, you chose this branch. From my perspective, you got what it takes to truly be a soldier in the field."

He then sat up from his chair and looked out the window.

"Alice."

I stood in place, not moving an inch as I anxiously waited for him to continue.

"I have chosen you to be Levi's third-in-command. After Eld."

My eyes were wide as I stared at my Commander in shock. "M-Me?"

 _Me? Third-in-command of the Survey Corps' Special Operations Squad? Out of all people, why me?_

"Yes. You." Erwin said, turning around to face me. "I have already spoken this to Levi. Although we haven't truly seen your skills outside the Walls, I believe in you Alice."

With my eyes still wide, my jaw dropped slightly but I quickly shut it. "W-Wow Commander Erwin. I-I can't believe this...I-I promise to not let you down. I will not let the two of you down."

I saluted towards Erwin as I felt my heart beating rapidly in excitement. _I can't believe this is happening. I've only been on the Survey Corps for three months and I've been given as the third-in-command. Commander Erwin must really trust me to be given this position._

"Thank you Commander Erwin." I saluted towards him again. "If you excuse me.."

Just as I was about to head out, Erwin called out to me again. "Alice, wait." I stopped my tracks and turned back around. "Yes Erwin?" He walked towards me and stopped a couple inches away. "There's a question I would like to ask you in the future. Now's not the time to ask but when the right time comes, all I'm asking for is a 'yes' or 'no.'"

"Huh?" I cocked my head, raised an eyebrow and blinked rapidly in confusion. "You sure are strange Commander Erwin." Giving him a faint smile, I waved at him and left the room.

* * *

 _Erwin wants to ask me a question but claims that now's not the right time to ask? That sure is strange of him to say that. On the other hand...I'm really honored at the fact that Erwin's given me the position at third-in-command. I wonder if all my friends knows about this. Would they be happy for me?_

 _After all, I'm still sort of new in the crew. Plus, I'm still a young soldier. I really do hope that I can live up to Erwin's and Levi's expectations. I wouldn't want to be a failure and a disappointment to them._

 _I will do whatever I can to ensure safety for our civilians. Especially for all my friends and family._

"Alice!" I heard a familiar, overly emotional high pitched voice call out to me.

I was already walking down the hallways of the bottom level when this voice called out to me.

"Alice!"

As my name was called once again, I felt a hard smack to my back before I had the chance to turn around and greet the Titan researcher.

"Hange!" I shouted her name in annoyance. "That hurts!"

I tried to rub my back and pouted as she gave me her cheesy apologetic look. "Oh! Sorry! Sorry!" Hange said, waving her hands in the air. "I'm just excited to see you!"

A chuckle escaped my lips as I stared at Erwin's successor. "It's actually nice seeing you too Hange."

She adjusted her glasses and started jotting down notes on her clipboard. "Where you heading to?"

"Home. I guess."

Hange shrugged her shoulders as we stood next to each other side by side and started walking down the halls.

"Did you just come from Commander Erwin's office?" She asked.

I nodded my head in response. "What about you? How's your research going? Learned anything from yesterday's expedition?"

I saw all movement from her hand stop. She then raised both hands in the air and groaned. "No! I got nothing! I wasn't able to capture any titans this time!"

"It's okay Captain Hange. There's always next time I guess. Although we did lose a good sum of soldiers yesterday."

"You're right Alice. The memorials for our fallen soldiers have already been prepared for their loved ones to mourn."

I placed a hand over my chest and tightened the grip of my shirt. _This is something I have to get used to. No point in moping on everything. There's always a next time and each attempt we do, there's a good probability of humanity's success._

I could tell Hange was eyeing me through her peripheral vision. She then placed her clipboard underneath her armpits and reached towards me. It wasn't until then that I realized her fingers were pinching my cheeks.

"Oh! You're just too cute Alice!" She exclaimed.

"W-Wha!?"

Feeling embarrassed by this sudden harassment from Hange, I squirmed around to free myself from her grasp.

"H-Hange!" I tried calling out to her through my pinched, puffed cheeks. "S-Stop that! It's embarrassing!"

She didn't listen to me and only laughed towards herself. "Why would I stop? It's too cute!"

"Oi. Hange." Levi's voice was heard down the hall.

The both of us jumped in surprise from hearing Levi's voice as Hange finally let go of my face.

"Ah! Levi! Good to see you!" Hange yelled as she chuckled and scratched the back of her neck.

The both of us eyed the serious man as he approached us. "What were you doing to her?" He asked Hange sternly, glancing towards me.

Hange let out a small laugh. "Nothing! Just pinching her cheeks. They're too cute. Don't you agree?" She went back to pinching my cheeks.

I could feel my face getting hot and red in embarrassment. _How embarrassing of Levi to see me stuck in a situation like this. Why does Hange have to be like this..._

Seeing Levi's eyes making contact with mine, my face grew even hotter as I heard him whisper something I never expected.

"Hn. _Cute._ "

 _Did he really say that? Even though he said it bluntly, did he mean it in a sarcastic way or was he serious?_

"Did you hear me Arlet?"

"Huh?"

I moved away from Hange and stared at my Captain. "Sorry Captain. I wasn't listening."

Levi let out a heavy sigh and turned around. "You're coming with me. We're going back to my office."

I raised an eyebrow and stared at his back. "L-Levi? I was actually planning on going home."

"Just shut up and follow me."

Without any hesitation, I immediately followed after him and waved 'goodbye' at Captain Hange.

* * *

The walk back to Levi's office was quiet as we entered the room in silence.

"Close the door." Levi finally spoke.

Doing what I was told, I closed the door and anxiously waited for what's next.

Levi then walked over to his desk and opened his top drawer. There, he took out two pairs of rubber gloves and threw one at me.

I caught the gloves with one hand and raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Sir? What's this for?"

"You're going to help me clean my office." He said as he tied a piece of cloth around his mouth.

"Huh?"

Dumbfounded by this, I just continued to stand there and stare at Levi. "You want me to help you clean?"

He nodded his head. "You're going to assist me on minimal tasks outside those green capes."

"Really?" I questioned while putting on the rubber gloves. "Why do you want me to help you with these sort of things?"

"Don't worry about it." Levi said, choosing not to answer my question. "Let's clean. My office is filthy."

"Y-Yes sir!"

I grabbed a piece of cloth and assisted Levi in cleaning his office. I couldn't help but to smile. _This quirk of Levi's is actually cute._

With that, the two of us cleaned in silence for what felt like hours. Of course, I don't mind the silence between Levi and I. I'm content with spending the little time I have with him. Even though Levi and I aren't that close, I'm really glad that I get to do something like this with him.

"Levi?" I called out to him, breaking the silence.

"What?"

"Commander Erwin spoke to me about being Third-in-Command for the Special Operations Squad."

"Oh."

"Can I ask you why though? He also mentioned that he spoke to you about this. What's your intake on me being in that position?"

I could hear Levi stop his cleaning as I did the same and turned towards him. He was just standing there, staring at me. "It's just as I said earlier. Erwin saw something in you which is why he wants you to be third in command. I will respect Erwin's judgement and see for myself just how truly skilled you are."

He then walked up towards me and stood uncomfortably close to me. His eyes were locked with mine and I could feel my cheeks getting hot. "I'll say this again. If I'm going to consider you as one of humanity's strongest soldier, impress me with your skills. Show me what you got. Got that Arlet?"

I rapidly nodded my head and saluted towards him. "Got it sir!"

I could barely see the corner of Levi's lips curl into a slight smile as he quickly turned his back towards me. "Good. Now let's continue clea-"

 _*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*_

Captain Levi was interrupted by sounds of frantic knocks on the door. I rushed to the door and quickly opened it. Petra was standing at the door, look of fear and worry all over her face.

"CAPTAIN LEVI! ALICE! WE'VE GOT TROUBLE!" She shouted, the hint of fear never leaving her tone.

"What's going on?" Levi asked, turning towards his loyal soldier.

"Is everything okay Petra?" I asked her.

Petra took a deep breath before answering our questions. "We've been attacked by titans! Wall Maria has been attacked!"

I stood there and stared at my friend. _What? Wall Maria has been attacked?_

"What else?" Levi asked, waiting for Petra to continue speaking.

"Sir! It's been reported that a 60-meter titan was spotted outside of Wall Maria and made a giant hole in it. Now, titans are coming inside and attacking civilians in Shinganshina District."

I gasped and dropped the cloth that I was holding onto. _Shinganshina District. My hometown is under attack._

Without any thinking, I ran out of Levi's room and made my way towards the equipment center. I could faintly hear Levi calling out to me but I ignored him.

 _My home is going to be destroyed. I need to protect everyone! I need to protect my home!_

I geared myself up as fast as I could and was about to head out until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I slightly turned my head to see that it was Levi.

"Wait Alice."

"But Levi!" I yelled. "It's my home! My home is under attack! I need to find everyone!" I stopped my tracks and widened my eyes. It had suddenly hit me. _Armin._ "I got to find Armin!"

As I tried to run off again, Levi grabbed my hand to stop me. "Hold on."

"C-Captain Levi?" I was shocked to feel his warm hand grasping mine. "W-What's wrong?"

He gently squeezed my hand and stared at me. "Don't run off on your own and act as a hero. Only save those who are savable. Forget the ones that can't be saved. Got that Alice?"

I felt my heart skipping beats at the mention of my name. "Y-Yes sir."

"Go and be careful. I'll catch up to you there."

I nodded my head towards him and immediately took off. I grabbed Artemis and made my way through the inner gate of Wall Maria.

 _Armin. I'm coming for you. Please be okay and stay alive until I get to you._


	3. Chapter 3

***This chapter has been revised/rewritten for improvement purposes.**

 **All spelling/grammatical errors are my own mistakes. This version has been NOT been beta'd.**

 **All credit of Attack On Titan/Shingeki No Kyojin goes to Hajime Isayama. I ONLY own Alice Arlet, my OC.**

* * *

Being as calm as I can be, I flew through my home district with my mobility gear at top speed. I can see the innocent running, screaming for their lives. Some even shouted, "Titans!" "Titans are here!" "They're eating us!"

Standing in the middle of Shinganshina, I could see the hole that was made on Wall Maria. Even though I'm a good distance from the wall, I could still see titans of different sizes coming through at a never ending pace.

Hearing more screams near me, I noticed humans trapped in the grips of titans and get eaten. Eyes wide in shock, I immediately made my way towards them and killed as many as I can.

 _Titans has invaded my home._

 _Titans are eating these innocent people whom may just be my next door neighbor._

 _Titans are killing us._

 _Titans are going to harm my home._

 _I must protect my home..._

"Argh!" With a grunt, I slashed the nape of a titans neck and watched as it fall to the ground. Hot steam started emitting around its corpse.

Panting heavily, I observed my surroundings and eyed the damaged area. Pieces of the outer Wall Maria were piled around this area as well as broken bits of homes. I can even see a giant boulder on top of a squashed up body. All that's left of this particular body was an arm and a puddle of blood. As I observed more of my surroundings, I can see chunks of body parts all over the area.

After giving a moment of silence to the dead bodies I've found, I headed towards my home in hopes of finding Armin.

 _Armin, please be okay! God, I pray to you that my little brother is alive and well!_

 _Please..._

 _Please let me find my brother._

After killing a couple more titans and feeling the hot blood all over me, I finally reached my home...

Or, what's left of my home.

It was completely destroyed. Just a pile of rubble and rocks everywhere. "Armin!" I shouted my brothers name once again.

Without any hesitation and will to stay calm, I quietly removed some of the rocks and rubble to find any sign of Armin being here. _Little brother, where are you? Please don't let me find you underneath these pieces. It'll break me if I find you here. Please don't be under all of this..._

My heart stopped.

There, I found a hand sticking out beneath this pile of rubble.

I didn't do anything.

I couldn't do anything.

I couldn't even breath for that second.

There's an arm here and it's a 50-50 chance it may be Armin's.

 _Could this arm really belong to Armin?_

 _No. It shouldn't._

 _But what if it really is?_

My mind's messing with me right now. It's time to find out if this arm really does belong to Armin...

With that, I took a deep breath and removed a heavy boulder with my shaking hands.

Upon discovering the true owner of this hand, fortunately, it didn't belong to Armin.

Unfortunately, it belonged to a woman. Her lower half of the body was crushed by another gigantic boulder. Her eyes were rolled back and blood foamed out of her mouth. I closed my eyes from the gory sight and left a silent prayer to the woman. "Rest in peace Miss."

I moved away from the body and searched around my broken home once again. I couldn't find any signs of Armin anywhere.

After hearing faint screams at a distance, I knew I had to get away from here. _Armin's not here._

Clicking the buttons on my maneuvering device, I landed on a rooftop and looked at my surroundings. More titans has been sighted and they were all scattered everywhere. Seeing that I might be at a disadvantage, I quickly moved away from my home.

 _If Armin's not here, then where the hell is he?_

 _Is Armin safe at all?_

 _Where are you?_

Suddenly, it hit me. I just remembered Armin mentioning that he was going to spend the day with Eren and Mikasa.

With my mind made up, I spun a full 180 and made my way towards the Jaeger residence. Maybe, just maybe Armin might be safe with them. He could be safe with Eren, Mikasa and Carla. I just pray that they are all okay. They just have to...

* * *

Everything is not alright.

The Jaeger's home was in a worse shape than my home. Everything was completely destroyed.

I can see Eren and Mikasa frantically digging for something.

"Eren! Mikasa!" I called out to the two kids, immediately noticing that Armin wasn't with them.

"Alice!" Eren called out to me. "Please! Help me save my mom!"

Looking at the boy, his hands were covered in cuts and bruised from moving the pile of rocks and heavy rubble that was on top of an injured Carla. She was trapped underneath the house.

"Carla!" I shouted out to her.

Carla can only be seen by her upper body and only one arm while the other was crushed. She gave me a weak, faint smile and reached her arm out to me. "A-Alice..."

Putting my blades back inside the hilt, I tried my best in helping Eren and Mikasa on digging Carla out of there. I could tell that the two kids were panicking and with that, I continued to stay as calm as I can. "Don't worry Carla. We'll get you out of there. Promise."

"Mom! Alice is here to save you! You'll be okay Mom!" Eren shouted, still panicking.

Looking at Carla, she was extremely pale from the pain she must be enduring right now. I could see that she's putting on a brave face in front of her son and adoptive daughter. Eren has been crying non-stop and is still in a panic shock about his mother's condition. Mikasa on the other hand, her facial expression remained wide eyed in shock and stayed silent.

"Eren, Mikasa. Where's Armin?" I finally asked the two.

Mikasa was the one to finally speak up. "He disappeared when everything started. We don't know where he is."

I stopped what I was doing and stared at the girl. My eyes were wide upon hearing this. "A-Armin's not with you?" I could feel my heart beating rapidly in a panic. _If Armin's not with them, THEN WHERE THE HELL IS HE!?_

"Alice!"

I turned around to see who it was that called out to me and it was Hannes. He just landed on the ground and ran up towards us. I can clearly tell that he is also in a state of panic just from seeing our situation but remained calm because of the kids.

"Hannes help! Mom's trapped here!" Eren yelled out to him.

Hannes just stood there and stared at us. "Hannes!" I called out to him. "Help!"

He seemed to be in a trance and haven't moved an inch for a good minute. Soon, his jaw dropped and I finally followed his gaze and turned my head. There, at a good distance away, we can clearly see a titan making it's way towards us. By the time it gets here, it'll eat us all.

"Shit!" I yelled. "We need to get you out of here now Carla!"

Eren, Mikasa and I approached a heavy wooden beam and tried to lift it up but to no avail. The beam was too heavy. "Mom! We're almost there! We'll save you in time Mom!" Eren shouted.

I could hear Hannes whipping his blades from behind as I looked up to see the distance between us and the titan. It will reach us within a few minutes. We don't have enough time to save Carla...

"Alice..." Carla called my name quietly as I felt her cold, bloody hands touching mine.

I placed my warm hands on top of hers. "Yes Carla?"

After coughing up some blood, she spoke dryly. "Leave me. Take Eren and Mikasa and go."

"No!" Eren shouted. "I'm not leaving you Mom! We're going to get you out of here and we'll escape together!"

I was lost at words. _Carla's telling us to abandon her?_ "I-I can't do that Carla. Please, we're almost done freeing you. We can save you."

"No. You can't." She said as her voice cracked. "My legs are crushed. I cannot feel anything beneath my waist. It's best to leave me." She lifted her head and made eye contact with me. "Please."

I was lost in her sad eyes. She obviously knows that this is the end for her and I could tell that she is scared.

"Mikasa." Carla called out to the young girl. "Please take good care of Eren like you always do." She gave Mikasa a faint smile as the girl started tearing up.

I just stood there, wide eyed and stared at Carla. _This is really happening._

"Hannes!" Carla shouted with all the strength she can. She must've snapped Hannes from his shocked trance. "Please take my children and go!"

Hearing the footsteps behind me, Hannes stood next to me as we stared at our friend. "Carla..." Hannes finally spoke her name.

"Go! Alice! Hannes! TAKE MY CHILDREN AND GO!" She finally screamed with all she can.

Suddenly, we heard a gasp escaped Eren's mouth as Hannes and I turned to see what Eren was staring at. To our shock, the titan that I saw from a distance was just a couple feet away.

"Please. Go now before it's too late." Carla said with a brave face that she's been trying to put up. "I love you...Eren, Mikasa. Alice will take care of you now."

Those were the final words Carla said.

"Let's go Alice!" Hannes shouted as he grabbed Eren and placed him over his shoulder.

"No! Mom! We need to save Mom!" Eren protested as he tried hitting Hannes's back.

Seeing that the titan was approaching us, I pulled out my blades. _I can kill it. I can kill this titan and then we'll be able to save Carla and tend to her wounds._

Just as the titan stood right in front of me, behind where Carla is buried, it just stared down at us. This titan was smiling. A smile so wide that it seeped deep into my memory as I shuddered at it's creepiness. I don't know why, but I couldn't kill this titan. There was something about this particular titan that really freaked me out.

I looked down that Carla and she nodded her head, sending a signal once last time, telling me to leave.

Gritting my teeth in anger, I grabbed Mikasa's hand and started running away. Tears started streaming down my face as the four of us ran away as fast as we can.

Looking back, I could see the freaky smiling titan picking Carla off from the ground. Carla was struggling in freeing herself from the titans grip but with it's other hand, it twisted her body and broke her in half. I gasped in utter shock as more tears streamed down my face. The titan then opened its mouth and took a big bite. Carla's blood rained around the titan as some of her innards hanged off from the titan's mouth.

 _I'm so sorry Carla._

 _I'm sorry I couldn't save you in time._

Tears kept streaming down my face as I realized just how pathetic was I back there. I could've killed the titan and I was a coward for running away.

Eren was still hung around Hannes's back and I knew he witnessed what I just saw. Same goes for Mikasa. She was looking back as well.

"Hannes!" I called out to him as we stopped running. "Take Mikasa with you." I pushed Mikasa towards him as I pulled out my blades. Tears were still streaming down my face.

"Where are you going Alice!?" Hannes yelled.

"I'm going to find Armin." I answered. "Please. Take Mikasa and Eren to Trost District. Their safety is your top priority now."

Without letting Hannes speak, I immediately pushed the button on my blades as the swung around the neighborhood.

* * *

 _I couldn't save Carla. Armin's missing. Just what is happening to me now. Armin, where are you? It's too soon to assume that my little brother is dead. It just is._

Travelling around the district with as little gas as possible, I killed more titans and avoided those that came in groups.

"Alice!" I heard Petra calling out to me.

I stopped my movement and was soon greeted by my squad along with Captain Levi. I could feel Levi studying my face and I quickly looked away before he could see the dry tears.

"Any luck in finding your brother?" Eld asked.

I shook my head silently. "No. I can't."

"Maybe he headed to Trost on his own. Your brother is a smart kid after all." Gunther said, trying to reassure me.

"I hope so." I said quietly. Armin's the only family I have.

"Let's go. They're coming." Levi said as more titans started swarming the area.

We all took off and surveyed the area for signs of Armin or stranded civilians. All we've found were just continuous dead bodies around the district and wrecked up homes.

After what seemed like hours, a Garrison soldier approached us. "I have a report for Alice Arlet!"

"That is me." I said as we saluted each other. "What is the report?"

"Captain Hannes brought news of your brother. He has found Armin Arlet and he is safe with him within Trost District." Answered the soldier.

A sense of relief of my brother's safety was lifted off my chest as I felt tears forming in my eyes. "Thank the heavens."

After that, red flares were seen around the Shinganshina District, signaling all soldiers to retreat within the inner wall.

"What now?" Bozado asked.

"We retreat." Levi answered. "Arlet."

"Yes Heichou?" I looked at Levi.

"Go to your brother. We'll handle things here." He said, nodding his head at his decision.

Without any hesitations, I saluted towards my squad and headed towards Trost District. What was once my home is not gone. Now, all we have to do is survive.

* * *

Walking through the shelters that were set up for the evacuated citizens, I finally found the one where the kids were staying out. There, I see my brother with Eren, Mikasa and Hannes.

"Sis!" Armin called out when he saw me.

"Armin!" I yelled out to him with arms wide open. We ran towards each other and I hugged him as if I haven't seen him in years. "Thank goodness you're alive!" My voice cracked as some tears streamed down my cheeks. "I thought I lost you. Where were you this whole time?"

He let's go of me and spoke. "I went home to find you but I didn't see you. Instead, I went on the evacuation boats and made my way here. That's when I found Hannes later on."

I patted his head and faintly smiled at him. "You're a smart kid Armin."

We then looked at Eren and Armin frowned. _I guess they told him the news of Carla's passing._ Eren had a look of disgust and anger all over his face. "Eren..." I reached my hand out, attempting to pat his shoulder.

"Don't talk to me." Eren said to me coldly as he brushed my hand away.

"There's no use talking to this kid right now." Hannes said. I assume he has already tried talking to Eren. "He's pretty pissed at the two of us right now."

I frowned upon this. I can't blame the kid. We had no choice but to abandon his mother there. "Eren." I said his name once again. "I'm really sorry about Carla. I had no choice but to respect her wishes." I slowly placed my hand on his shoulder.

Eren's eyes narrowed angrily as he slapped my hand away. "SHUT UP!"

My eyes widened in shock at Eren's sudden attitude. "E-Eren?"

"MY MOM DIED BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU COULD'VE SAVED HER BUT YOU DIDN'T. YOU STUPID SOLDIERS ARE COWARDS!" People around us were starting to stare as I continued to stare at Eren wide eyed. "HOW CAN YOU EVEN CALL YOURSELF A SOLDIER ALICE!?"

I couldn't help but to gasp at his last sentence. _Eren was right. I was a coward for not killing that titan. That is going to haunt me._

"Eren..." Mikasa quietly called out to him.

"Oi!" Hannes yelled. "There was nothing Alice can do! Your mother wanted to ensure safety on you and Mikasa! That was her final wish!"

Still in shock, I stood there and stared at Eren as streams of tears fell down my face. I felt horrible. I too am disgusted in myself. _How will Grisha react when he finds out?_

"Eren..." After saying the boys name, I kneel to his level and wrapped my arms around him and Mikasa. I pulled the two closer to me and hugged them as tightly as I can. With my voice all cracked and choked up, I spoke to them. "I'm so sorry! I'm truly sorry that we couldn't save her! But I made a promise to her that I will look after the two of you." I squeezed them tighter to ensure them under my safety. "That's a promise I will not break."

As tears continued to stream down my face, I could feel Eren's body shake. He must be in tears as well. Mikasa remained as silent as she was but I could tell that she was trying her best not to cry.

"Hannes." I called out to my friend as I let go to the kids.

"Yes Alice?"

"Can you help me find a temporary home for Eren, Mikasa and Armin?"

"What about you Sis?" Armin asked, look of worry written all over his face.

I gave my brother a faint smile and pat his head. "Don't worry about me Armin. I've got work with the Survey Corps so I'll be around there most of the time. My top priority is to make sure the three of you are safe under my arms."

"But..." Armin started speaking but trailed off for a brief second. "Where will you live if you're not staying with us?"

I moved my hand away and placed a finger under my chin, pondering on where I could stay.

"I have a place for her." A voice answered from behind.

We all turned heads and watched as Captain Levi walked towards the five the us. Hannes and I immediately saluted towards him while the kids just stared at him.

"Captain Levi." I greeted him.

Levi nodded his head as Hannes and I resumed our position.

"Y-You're Levi Heichou..." Eren said quietly, probably gawking at the fact that the Special Operations Squad leader is standing right in front of him.

Levi stood there and eyed the boy. "Oi. Little Brat." He spoke towards Eren. "You should be thankful that Alice saved you."

I could tell that I was starting to blush. _Why is Levi telling Eren this?_

"W-What?" A confused Eren said, staring at my Squad leader.

"You mother's death is something we should all remember about." Levi spoke again. His facial expression then changed to one of his annoyed glares. "But that doesn't give you the right to be mad at her or the other soldier."

I could hear Hannes clearing his throat. Probably embarrassed at the fact that Levi is defending him and doesn't know his name.

Looking at Eren, he lowered his head and stared at the ground in anger. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. "I hate those titans..." Was all he could say.

I looked back at Levi and he seemed to be impressed with Eren's sense of anger. _What is he thinking right now?_

"Join the military."

My eyes widened in shock when I heard those words escape Levi's mouth. "H-Hold on Levi!" I said, taking a step forward. "T-They're still young..." _It's too dangerous for them to join the military._

Levi ignored my concern and continued to look at Eren. "If you join the military, you can avenge your mothers death. Judging by the look in your eyes, you must hate those filthy beings to death. Am I right?"

Armin and Mikasa's eyes were glued towards Eren while Hannes stood there, unsure of what to do. I on the other wanted to protest about this but the look on Eren's face prevented me from speaking. He had the eyes of an avenger. Eren's face remained angry and determined after hearing Levi's comment. With tears streaming silently down his face, he lifted his right arm over his chest and looked at my Captain.

"I will join the military. I will destroy every one of those titans and avenge my mother's death!"

"Good." Levi said as he turned around and looked at Hannes. "You."

Hannes blinked in confusion and stared back at Levi. "Me?"

"Go find them a new home already." He said, glaring at my friend. He then faced towards me and made eye contact with me.

I could tell I was blushing and I quickly shook my head to hide it. "Y-Yes Levi?"

"Come with me."

He then started walking away as I saluted towards Hannes and the kids. "I'll be back." I smiled and followed after Levi. Looking back, Hannes said something towards the kids and they followed him somewhere.

* * *

I followed Levi back towards headquarters and we made our way outside of Commander Erwin's office.

"We need to speak to Erwin first before I take you to your new home." Levi said as he knocked on the door.

I silently nodded my head as Levi opened the door and we entered the room. There, we could see Erwin standing in front of his window, looking outside.

"Maria is gone." Erwin said. His attention still facing towards the window.

"Yes. It is." I reluctantly answered. "The damage on the wall is huge. There were countless titans entering the district."

"Is your brother safe?" He asked, turning around, meeting my gaze.

I let out a sigh, relieved once again that my brother was safe along with Eren and Mikasa. "Yes. He is. Thank you for asking Commander."

"That's good. I'm sorry about your home."

I shook my head respectively. "It's not a big problem Commander. There's no need to worry about me."

"Do you have anywhere to stay?" Erwin asked, seemingly concerned for my well-being.

I shook my head again. "That, I'm not really sure." I looked at Levi who remained quiet the entire time. "Levi mentioned something earlier that he has somewhere for me to stay."

Commander Erwin turned his attention towards Levi as he slowly nodded his head. "Levi?"

"I have a vacant room in my building. She'll be staying at the one next to mine." Levi answered.

I looked at my Captain, wide eyed at what he just said. _He's making me live in a vacant room next to his!? I'm going to be living with Levi?_

"A spare room in your building?" Erwin questioned.

"Yes." He answered. "No one uses it. Alice would be the perfect person to live there."

"Eh!?" A slight shriek escaped my lips as I felt my face getting hot and red.

Erwin looked at me, then at Levi. At first, he seemed as if he was confused at my sudden shriek but then remained his stoic expression. "I see. Take Alice to her new home. We are holding a meeting tonight. So go and get some rest."

With that, Levi and I saluted towards our Commander and escorted ourselves out of Headquarters.

* * *

"This is your room." Levi said as he whipped out a key and unlocked the door.

The building wasn't too far from Headquarters which makes travelling a lot easier. Knowing that my new room is right next to Levi's my heart thumped faster as I entered the vicinity.

The room was too small or big. It was just the right size for one person, exactly as how Levi mentioned earlier. There was a decent sized window with a nice view of the inner Wall Sina. There was also a bookshelf filled with books on the military, titans, and more. Near the window, there was a small couch and a queen sized bed.

"This room is really nice Levi." I said, smiling towards my squad leader with a hint of blush across my cheeks.

Levi fixed up the ascot on his collar, trying not to acknowledge the smile I've just given him. "You're just lucky that I never bothered to rent out this room to anyone. It'll be hassle if they make this place filthy."

Putting my hands behind my back, I decided to ask him a question. "What made you decide to let me have this room?"

His eyes met mine and he just stared at me for a long minute. I wanted to look away but I couldn't. I was lost in his dull blue eyes and I couldn't help but to blush tremendously.

"That's because you're not a filthy person. I know that you're a very responsible person. That's why I'm willing to give you this room, rent-free." He answered bluntly.

A wide grin flashed across my face as feelings of joy filled up my chest. "T-Thank you very much Levi Heichou!" I shouted while saluting towards him. "I really appreciate you doing this for me."

"Don't mention it." Levi said as he tossed me the key. "You deserve to be happy."

My cheeks got hot in no time. _Did Levi just said that I deserve to be happy? Why would he say that?_

"I-I see..." I whispered, feeling a bit shy from his kind words.

Levi continued to stare at me but then diverted his eyes towards a door that's next to the bookshelf. "By the way." He started speaking. "I forgot to mention one important thing about living in this room."

"And what's the important thing?" I asked.

He placed his hand on the doorknob and opened it. Inside was a plain bathroom, spotless clean from top to bottom. Just across from the bathroom was yet another door. _I wonder where that door leads to._

"This bathroom is linked to my room as well. We'll be sharing the same bathroom."

My head started spinning after I heard Levi say that. _We're going to share bathrooms!? Me. Levi. Same bathroom._

"W-What? R-Really? W-We have to share the r-restroom?..." I stuttered.

Levi let out a sigh and spoke sarcastically. "Don't worry I don't take long showers and I won't hog up all the hot water."

I violently shook my head and waved my hands around. "I-I'm sorry Levi. I didn't mean to offend you!" I lowered my head and bowed towards him. "I was just caught off guard when you mentioned that we have to share the restroom. It's no big deal for me sir!"

I'm not sure if I heard it right, but I could've sworn I heard a slight chuckle coming from Levi. I lifted my head to look at him but all I saw was his stoic expression. All I did was smile at him sheepishly. "Once again, thank you Captain. I really appreciate it." Just then, a yawned escaped from me and I let it out.

"You should get some rest. You've been through a rough morning." Levi spoke. "Take a quick nap and I'll let you know when we're headed for our meeting tonight."

With that, Levi entered his room through the bathroom door and locked it. I did the same and plopped down on my new bed. The mattress was extremely comfortable and I can just sink into it without any problem.

As I continue to lay on the bed, I let my heavy set eyes fall and allowed sleep to take over.


	4. Chapter 4

_Almost every building in Shinganshina was destroyed. Just flying around the district made me realize that majority of the population within Wall Maria were killed. I noticed a lot half eaten corpses with the top half or bottom half missing. There were even some bodies that are just too gruesome to ignore. I've seen one body where his legs has been bit off and his stomach were ripped apart with his guts spilling everywhere. His face looked like he went through hell while dying. Poor man._

 _I reached to my home and there, I see the same dead woman I found earlier. But this time, her body seems as if she was decaying really fast. I turned around and I see another body just ahead. Being a bit curious, I walked towards this new body. Too bad my curiously led me to discover Armin's corpse._

 _What is his body doing here? Wasn't he safe within Trost? Why is Armin here? How did Armin end up like this?_

 _My mind was spinning. His body parts were scattered everywhere. Arms and legs sprawled around the area. There was even blood all over his body and his eyes are wide open. Pupils dilated as if he was conscious the entire time before his untimely death. Fear and shock took over my body. I couldn't move an inch. All I could feel are my hands shaking and my shortness of breath._

 _Is this a dream? No. This is more like a nightmare. This **must** be a nightmare. I know Armin is alive in the real world. This is just a horrible nightmare I'm having._

 _Suddenly, Armin's eyes began to move and it shifted towards me. Startled, I jumped back and stared at it._

 _"Sis..." The head of Armin began to speak. "Save...me...save...us."_

 _Everything went black and I felt as if I've been sent to a different area. This new area was at the Jaeger residence. At a far distance in front of me, I can see Hannes and myself running while carrying Eren and Mikasa. I can see my own self turning her head towards me with a look of horror on her face. Following her gaze, I turned around and I see a very tall titan right in front of me. This titan was the smiling one. It's lips were wide open, exposing it's teeth. The smile on that titans face sunk into my mind, making me feel absolute fear and disgust_

 _I finally noticed that Carla was just a short distance away from me, trapped underneath a pile of rubble and wooden planks. I can hear Carla screaming for her life as the titan reached down and grabbed her. Again, I couldn't move, all I could do was stand there and watch._

 _"Let go! Help!" that was all Carla could do. Scream. "I don't want to die!"_

 _The titan smiled the most wicked smile I had ever seen and slowly brought Carla to its mouth. Only her head and upper body reached inside its mouth. The next thing that happened was the titan taking a bite. A loud 'crunch' was heard and Carla's blood rained around the area. Some of her blood got onto my face as I watched in absolute horror._

 _I wiped my forehead with my hand and just stared at the crimson color on my skin. Carla's blood was hot and fresh. The smell was making me sick to my stomach._

 _What did I just witness? Her gruesome death that I couldn't prevent? I could've saved her. I could've done something to stop this. I let it happen._

 _"Noooooooooo!" Was all I could scream. "Give her back!" I shouted as I took out my blades and headed straight for the titan._

 _As soon as I reached the titan, I took a swing at it but it disappeared. The entire area disappeared too. My surroundings were just black, pitch darkness. I put my swords away and sat on the ground in tears._

 _"Carla!" I screamed her name. "Come back Carla!"_

 _My cries became hysterical and tears streamed down uncontrollably. While still being surrounded by a sea of darkness, I noticed Armin's head rolling towards me. His head bumped to my leg and it stopped. Those dilated pupils stared into my bright blue eyes and blood seeped down his cheeks._

 _"Why didn't you save her Alice?" He spoke hauntingly._

 _"A-Armin?"_

 _"You were skilled enough to save her Alice." Armin spoke again. "I thought you were strong Sis."_

 _Suddenly, dark figures of Mikasa and Eren popped up behind Armin's head._

 _"You didn't save my Mom." Eren said coldly._

 _"E-Eren? Mikasa?" I looked at them, confused at what's going on._

 _"You're not strong Alice." Mikasa said. Her figure was still dark but I could see a red glow from her eyes._

 _"What kind of soldier let's a human being die?" Eren asked rhetorically._

 _My hands started shaking and my body felt like it was on fire. I clenched onto my shirt, my chest felt it was going to burst._

 _"I'm sorry..."_

 _"People calls you humanities second strongest. What lies." Eren said coldly again._

 _The felt like a stab to my back. "I'm sorry..." I repeated myself._

 _Suddenly, shadowy figures of all the dead bodies I've seen surrounded me and pointed fingers at me. They were all chanting something haunting..._

 _" **Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward.** "_

 _I held my hands to my head, trying to get those words out of my mind and I sunk to the ground. "Stop it! I'm not a coward! I'm not!"_

 _I want to get out of this nightmare. Please, wake me up. Get me out of here!_

 _GET ME OUT OF HERE!_

* * *

 _*knock* *knock* *knock*_

My eyes shot open in an instant as I heard knocking on my door. I sat up from my bed and sighed in relief. _It was all a dream. A nightmare. Everything felt so real._

I looked at my hands and noticed that they're shaking. My heart felt like it was trying to leap out of my chest and sweat was rolling down my face. Putting a hand to my chest, I let out another sigh. _That was a hell of a nightmare..._

 _*knock* *knock*_

I jumped out of my bed and headed towards the door. Holding onto the knob, I opened it and there was Levi. He was looking at me, eyebrow raised and studied my face.

"You're really pale. Did you have a nightmare or something?" He asked, sounding slightly concerned.

"Yeah. Sorta" I replied quietly, wiping off some sweat on my forehead. "It had something to do with what happened earlier today. I guess I'm still a bit horrified by what I've witnessed."

"I see. It's not easy when you witness something like this for the first time." He spoke softly. I felt my heart beating faster from the tone of his voice. "It'll take time to get over it but eventually, you'll have to overcome it. Things like this will most likely happen again."

"What? What do you mean by that?" I looked at him in confusion.

"It will be discussed in the meeting. Let's go or we'll be late." Levi started walking away as I closed my door and followed him. He is right though. More unfortunate events will most likely happen again. I just don't know if I will be able to handle it.

* * *

 **This chapter has been rewritten/revised for improvement purposes!**

 **All spelling/grammatical errors are mine and the chapter has been un-beta'd.**

 **All credit on Attack on Titan/Shingeki No Kyojin goes to Hajime Isayama.**

 **I only own Alice Arlet, my OC.**


	5. Chapter 5

***This chapter has been revised/rewritten for improvement purposes.**

 **All spelling/grammatical errors are my own mistakes. This version has been NOT been beta'd.**

 **All credit of Attack On Titan/Shingeki No Kyojin goes to Hajime Isayama. I ONLY own Alice Arlet, my OC.**

* * *

Levi and I reached to the Survey Corp Headquarters and headed to the meeting room which was located in the bottom level. Commander Erwin mentioned earlier today that he wants to have a meeting regarding the events of today.

Those of us that were summoned sat around the long oval table and waited for the Commander himself to show up. My friends and comrades spoke their concerns towards me. I reassured each one by letting them know that I was alright, despite the fact that my home District has been lost. _At least I know that Armin is actually alive and not dead like my dream._

"Hey look lively. You're face is going to make this room feel negative" Levi whispered, noticing the frown I was starting to form.

"Sorry captain" I responded as I began to smile towards him.

Levi looked at me then looked towards the door. The door opened and in came Erwin as he entered the premises. We all stood from our seats and saluted towards our Commander as he nodded his head in acknowledgement and took a seat in his chair. We all sat down and waited in silence for him to speak. I myself was feeling extremely anxious on what he's going to say about today's events.

"Today, Wall Maria was taken down by a 60-meter titan. This titan has been noted to be called as, 'The Colossal Titan'. Along with that, another titan was seen called the 'Armored Titan' who showed up and broke the defense gate." Erwin started explaining.

 _Another titan? I didn't hear about this one. If the Armored and Colossal titan were responsible for this, where are they now?_

"Even though the aforementioned Titans were sighted, there were many reports mentioning their disappearances after the attack. No one has been able to detect where they're located. The Garrison regiment are currently doing their best at defending the wall and killing as many titans as they can. Unfortunately, due to a high number of titans infiltrating the area, we are not permitted to go in and kill them. We will just rely on the cannons. I originally wanted to plan our next expedition but that will be postponed until further notice. Other than that, Commander Pixis, please come in."

The doors opened once again and there was Dot Pixis, Commander of the Garrison Regiment. This is my first time ever meeting him. I've heard of him from Petra and the others and from I learned, he is a well respected man. We all stood from our seats and saluted towards Pixis as he saluted back.

"You may all be seated" Pixis spoke as he cleared his throat. "Some of you may not know, I am Commander Pixis, leader of the Garrison Regiment. My troops are doing their best at reducing the numbers of titans. Unfortunately, due to the size of the hole, there are too many coming in from the outside walls. We managed to save as many civilians as we could and blocked the inner gate to prevent titans from going in. For now, with the permission from Commander Erwin, you are all to assist my troops and patrol Wall Rose for any suspicious activity. This assignment will start first thing tomorrow morning. With that, I will take my leave." We all saluted towards Commander Pixis again as he saluted back and left the room.

"Plans for our next expedition will be postponed until we are certain that it is safe." said Erwin. "Captain Hange has already done a little bit of research about the Colossal Titan and Armored Titan. Based on her resources provided by other people who has witnessed the attack or seen those titans."

Hange stood up from her seat with a bunch of papers in her hands and eyed our faces. "Based on what I've heard about today, I've come to the conclusion that these two specific titans are not just abnormal titans, they're titans with intelligence." Some people started looking at each other in confusion while Hange cleared her throat continued speaking. "What I mean by 'intelligence' is that these two titans were well aware of what to do and where to go. For instance, The Colossal titan knew that he had to kick a hole on Wall Maria to let other titans in. The Armored titan knew that he had to run through the gate to prevent us from going on defensive to protect the gate. People claimed that these two titans disappeared after doing the things they were supposed to do. So I predict that they will show up again another time. I'm just not sure when they will attack us again."

Again, everyone were looking at each other in confusion. I had a few questions in my head. _How is it that the Colossal and Armored titan are so different than the regular titans?_ _How did they gain these 'intelligence'? How can they just disappear without anyone seeing them?..._

My thoughts were quickly interrupted by Erwin speaking. "We will do whatever we can to assist the Garrisons. I want you all to be on high alert and do whatever is necessary. Hange, continue to do whatever research you can on these titans."

Captain Hange nodded her head in understanding. "Yes Sir!"

"Tomorrow, I want you all to report on anything suspicious you've come across. With that, you are all dismissed." Commander Erwin stood from his seat and as we all followed suit and saluted towards him.

Just as I was about to leave the meeting room, I was approached by Squad Leader Mike. He came up to me and started sniffing around me. It's a very common thing for Mike to sniff around.

"Can I help you with anything Mike?" I questioned the man, eyebrows raised.

*sniff* *sniff*

"You had a smell of fear and sadness when you entered headquarters. Is everything okay?" Mike asked.

I let out a heavy sigh and gave Mike a faint smile. "Not really. Shinganshina was my home."

"I see. I'm terribly sorry for the loss of your home." He said.

"No need to apologize Mike." I waved my hand, reassuring him. "I'm just really glad that my brother is safe. However, I did lose a dear friend to a titan."

I lowered my head and stared at the ground. _Carla...once again, I'm sorry for not saving you. I will do whatever it takes to ensure safety over Mikasa and Eren._

Mike placed his hand on my shoulder and I looked up to meet his eyes. He was staring at me with his usual serious, calm expression. "Whatever happens, never give up. If you ever give up, then it will be a loss for humanity and that is not what we signed up for. Remember that Alice."

I just stood there and stared at him impressed. His words has sunk deep into my mind and it's definitely something worth remembering. With that, I sent him a small smile. "Nice words for someone who is humanity's second strongest soldier."

Mike let a slight smirk escape as he crossed his arms and looked away. "Coming from the young lad who is supposedly being considered as humanity's strongest soldier as well. We shall see about that if you're going to surpass my strengths."

I couldn't help but to chuckle a bit. _It's nice to joke around a bit with Mike._

"Thanks for the comforting words Mike." I said while saluting towards him. "If you'll excuse me Squad Leader, I have to be somewhere."

With that, I took my leave from Headquarters and made my way towards Trost.

* * *

Even though it's getting late, I wanted to come to check up on Armin, Mikasa and Eren at the shelter. As I made my way through the gates, I walked towards the building and entered the premises. There, I could see Hannes passing food rations around other civilians who are taking refugee in the shelter home.

"Hannes" I called out to him.

"Oi Alice." He turned and greeted me with his warm smile upon hearing my voice. "Here to see the kids?"

"Yeah. I want to make sure they're okay."

"Sure. They're just down there by the wall. Give them some food too while you're at it." Hanness tossed me some of the rations to give to them.

"Thanks Hannes. Also thank you for looking after them. Especially with what happened to Carla."

We both had sad expressions on our faces but Hanness soon smiled towards me.

"Even though Carla may be gone. It is our responsibility to take care of them. Since my wife and I don't have kids, they're practically my children."

I smiled at Hannes and nodded my head. "I guess they are." With that, I walked towards the kids. _He is right. Armin is the only family I have left and now I've considered Eren and Mikasa my family too. I will do everything I can to protect them._

"Hi Sis" Armin greeted as I approached the three of them.

"Hey kiddos. Hannes retrieved some food rations for you to eat. You should all eat up to gain some energy." I handed each one some of the food. Mikasa was quiet as usual but Eren was just sitting. His facial expression was showing pure anger and hatred. It was an expression I would never expect a kid to show. Let alone from Eren himself despite the awful event he's been through.

"Eren. Did your Dad come back yet?" I asked. _Grisha should've been here by now._

"No. I didn't see him yet." Eren replied coldly.

"Hannes said he told someone to look for him" said Mikasa.

"Good" I replied. "Have you guys thought about what you're going to do?"

"Yeah" Eren answered immediately, standing up from his sitting position with a courageous look. "I'm going to join the military in two years."

My eyes went wide right away. I looked at Mikasa and she spoke up as well. "I'll go wherever Eren goes."

"A-Are you guys sure?" I was a bit surprised to hear them say that. "The training will be at least three years before you can actually do something productive. Plus it'll be dangerous out there if you were to ever fight the titans. Are you two sure you want to do this?"

I could feel my throat getting dry and my palms getting sweaty. I was hoping to find a way to convince them not to join the military. Even though a part of me would want them to fight for the sake of humanity but the fact that I'm their guardian now...I guess it's one of those 'parent' instincts to ensure full safety for their children.

Eren stared at me with a look of determination. He really did look like he knew what his calling in life is. "I am a hundred percentage sure I want to do this Alice." He gritted his teeth and I could practically hear the grip on his hands tighten. "I will avenge my mothers death and make sure all titans are to be killed."

Just hearing that gave me chills. _Such bravery from a young kid. I don't think I've ever seen anyone with this kind of determination. Eren...though you may be a really stubborn kid, I do have a lot of respect for you. Same goes for Mikasa._ Without saying anything, I saluted towards Eren and Mikasa as my way of respecting their decisions. The two of them saluted back.

I then turned to stare at my brother. He seemed as if something was on his mind. As if he's afraid to speak up.

"Armin?" I looked at Armin with an eyebrow raised. I'm sort of afraid to know if he's made the decision to join the military as well.

Taking in a deep breath, Armin finally spoke loudly. "I'm going to join the military too Alice! I don't want to be bullied anymore! I want to be stronger! I want to help! I want to be by your side also Sis!" He held his hand to his chest, catching his breath after all those words he blurted out. It was from that moment I've realized Armin is becoming more like a man than a little boy. I patted his head and smiled sweetly towards each kid. _They're really growing up._

"From now on, our lives will be tougher. When you guys join the military, I will barely be able see you three but I know you're all going to be grown ups by the time you graduate. As long as I know you're all going to be alive and safe, I give my blessings to you."

I hugged the three of them as tears were forming in my eyes. I tried my best not to cry but couldn't fight back the tears. _So much has happened within the past day_. Y _esterday, everything was normal and we were all laughing and cheery. Today, we all became a different person once we lost our home._ I let go of the kids said my goodbyes to them for the day. "I'll see you three tomorrow. Please rest up to regain your strengths."

The three of them saluted towards me as I returned the action, smiling towards them. With that, I turned and walked out of the building. As I made my way out, I noticed Captain Levi standing at a short distance from where the kids and I were hanging around. My heart skipped a beat upon seeing him. I'm quite surprised to see him here yet I'm happy at the same time.

"Something wrong Levi?" I questioned once I approached him.

"No. Just wanted to hear what that kid had to say." Levi answered. He was staring towards Eren's direction.

"You mean Eren?" I asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah." He said, turning his gaze back towards me. "He is very tough for a twelve year old."

"He is. I do admire that kid. He is willing to do anything to make sure his mother's death is avenged." I let out a heavy sigh before saying my next statement. "He's going to be a good soldier no matter how stubborn he can be."

"We'll see in after his training years are over" Levi said as he started to walk away with me following along.

As we were leaving the building, I can faintly see a horse speeding towards our direction. It was pretty dark outside so it was hard to tell who was on that hose. As it got closer, to us, I realized who was on that horse.

"Alice!" Grisha yelled once the moonlight shined on his face.

"Grisha!" I yelled back just as the horse stopped in front of me and Levi.

Grisha immediately hopped off his horse and looked at me. "Where's my boy? And Mikasa? Are they alright?"He had a worried look on his face.

"Yes, they're fine Grisha." I answered quietly, still taking in the fact that Grisha has finally shown up after all the events of today.

"What about Carla!? Where is my wife!?" Grisha grabbed my shoulders and started shaking me. "Where is she!? Is she still alive!? Tell me Alice!"

"Oi, let go of her" Levi put his arm on Grisha and pulled his arm away from me.

Feeling grateful that Levi was able to put some distance between Grisha and I, I couldn't help but to stare at the ground. I was lost at words. _How am I going to tell him? I'm not good at bringing bad news to people. Ever. I wasn't even good at telling Armin when our parents died. How can I tell Grisha?_

"Grisha...Carla...she..." Words barley came out of my mouth. "S-She got trapped under a pile of wooden planks from your home..." I took a hard swallow as I continued to speak."We tried to save her...but she wouldn't let us...she told me and Hannes to save Eren and Mikasa. So we did. Last thing I saw of Carla was her being picked up by a titan. She was eaten Grisha. She died. I'm sorry." I put my hand on his shoulder. He had a look of despair and disbelief. His shoulders even began to shake.

"Carla...no..." Grisha fell to the ground and put his hands on his face. He started to cry. I felt horrible. _Maybe there was a chance to save Carla and we just missed it._ "Carla my darling..." He cried even more.

I couldn't help but to let a few tears stream down my face. I don't know how Levi's reacting right now, but I'm sure he's just standing there without a clue on what to do or how to react.

"Alice" Grisha called out to me as he got up and looked at me. No longer in tears.

"Yes Grisha?"

"Where's Eren? Where's my boy?" Grisha asked again. His facial expression changed. He was no longer showing any despair. His face was showing something new. I couldn't understand his expression because its something I've never seen before. It's like his soul has been lost and all he can think about is one solution. _If only I can know what Grisha's thinking right now._

"H-He's inside" I pointed at the shelter.

With that, Grisha pushed me aside and ran inside the building. Levi and I looked at each other for a brief second before running after Grisha. _What is he planning to do with Eren?_

"Father?" I see Eren running up to Grisha and hugging him. Grisha hugged Eren back but then began to drag him away.

"Come my son. I must take you somewhere" Grisha said as he continued to drag Eren.

I quickly ran and stood in front of Grisha and Eren. "Grisha! Where are you taking him?" I asked him before he could leave.

Eren looked at Grisha in confusion. "Where are you taking me Father?"

Grisha looked back at Eren and then focused on me. He seemed to be glaring at me which caused me to take a step back. _Why is Grisha looking at me like that?_

"Alice. Thank you for watching over Eren and Mikasa." Grisha spoke a bit coldly. "But right now, I have to take Eren with me somewhere. Please watch over Mikasa for now." With that, he grabbed Eren's arm and walk away.

"Eren!" Mikasa shouted towards her adopted brother and was about to go after them but Armin stopped her. She looked at Armin and he shook his head.

I was very confused. _What is Grisha going to do? Why was he acting like that? His facial expression really is something I've never seen before. Grisha really did seemed like he was going to do something he'd regret. I'm not sure. I should do something about it..._

I raised my hand, about to call out to Grisha to stop them but Levi grabbed my hand to prevent me from doing so.

"Let him go." He said, squeezing my hand. "It's his son. He has the right to take him wherever he wants to."

I lowered my hand and watched as Grisha and Eren disappeared into the night. _Levi was right_. Grisha is still alive, thus him still being the main guardian over Eren and Mikasa. I slightly frowned at the thought of something bad happening to Grisha or Eren.

"Don't worry Mikasa. Eren will be back." I said to Mikasa, kneeling to her level and giving her a reassuring smile.

"Is Mr. Jaeger okay?" Armin asked, a concerned look could be read.

"I'm not sure." I answered truthfully. "Maybe he's in shock. I told him what happened to Carla." Mikasa and Armin lowered their heads, a sad expression came across their faces. "The two of you should go to sleep now. We had a very long day. Eren will come back in the morning. Okay?"

The two nodded and went back to their spots while Levi and I exited the building and made our way back home.

As the two of us walked through the quiet night, a thought popped into my mind. _Now that I think about it, Levi seems to be around wherever I go to. Was this on purpose or am I just being crazy?_

"Levi."

"Hm?"

"Why are you always around me?" I asked with a questionable, curious look.

"Does it matter?" He replied nonchalantly.

"uhmm...not really. I kind of like your company." I said with a slight blush. _Good thing its night time_.

"Then keep it that way." He said as he picked up his pace.

The rest of the walk was silent and the both of us entered our rooms. I walked towards my bed and flopped down. _Today was slow and like hell_. _I just pray that wherever Grisha is taking Eren, everything will be alright._ With that, I closed my eyes and let sleep take over.


	6. Chapter 6

***This chapter has been revised/rewritten for improvement purposes.**

 **All spelling/grammatical errors are my own mistakes. Beware: this has not been beta'd.**

 **All credit goes to Hajime Isayama for AOT/Shingeki No Kyojin. Alice Arlet is my OC and I ONLY own her.**

* * *

I felt the strong sun rays shining on my face as I grudgingly wake up. I let up a slight yawn observed my surroundings. _Right...I live in this room right next to Captain Levi. I literally live under the same roof as him._ Just the thought of it made me blush as I cupped a hand to my cheek.

I lowered my head slightly, thinking about the events of yesterday. _I can't believe that everything had happened just yesterday. It all seems so surreal. I had a home in Shingenshina and now...it's all gone. People that we love are gone as well. It's pretty sad._

Letting out a heavy sigh, I got up from my bed and closed the curtains. "Time to get ready for our assignment." I whispered quietly.

I planned on using the bathroom to do my morning routine but just as I turned the knob opened the door, I see a shirtless Levi brushing his teeth.

He turned towards me slightly, making sure toothpaste wouldn't land on the floor and raised an eyebrow at me. "Morning Alice" Levi said mid-brush.

My face was unbelievably red at this point. _What do I say!? What is Levi doing in the bathroom shirtless!? Why isn't he wearing a shirt?! How can Levi be so calm after this!?_ I feel so embarrassed for walking in on him like this! _What do I do!?_

"M-Morning Captain Levi! I'm so sorry for barging in!" I shouted and slammed the door. I then slid to the ground and placed a hand over my chest, feeling the rapid heartbeats beating uncontrollably.

Suddenly, I felt a knock on my bathroom door and Levi calling out. "Oi. You can use it now so you don't have to be embarrassed anymore" With that, I could hear him going through his bathroom door.

I peeked inside the restroom to make sure that he left. So I went in and did whatever needs to be done in the bathroom. After getting ready for the day, I picked up my green cape with the wings of freedom emblem and put it on just in time for Levi to knock on my door to rush me.

"Let's go. You're too slow" said Levi.

"I'm coming!" I opened my door and smiled at him. "I'm ready."

Levi kept his stoic expression and replied nonchalantly. "Let's go."

With that, Levi and I walked towards Wall Rose together to do the assignment Commander Pixis ordered us yesterday. To help the Garrison Troops cover Wall Rose to ensure the safety of the civilians.

"Tch. Its annoying that we have to do this." An annoyed Levi spoke softly.

"I know this doesn't fall on our job description to help the other Militia but its what Commander Pixis and Erwin wants us to do at the moment." I replied.

"I rather clean" Levi said looking away.

I just chuckled at his comment. _Cute._

"What?" He asked with an eyebrow raised, questioning my sudden laugh.

"Oh nothing" I said sarcastically while looking away.

We made our way to the equipment center and received our gear and flew up on top of Wall Rose to meet up with the other soldiers. I see the Garrison Troops cleaning the cannons and within the group of soldiers, one of them happens to be Hannes.

"Hey. Good morning Hannes" I greeted the older gentleman.

"Good Morning Alice" Hannes greeted back as we saluted each other.

"Do you know if Eren and Grisha came back? Grisha took him away in such a rush that I couldn't do anything to stop him" I said while looking at the ground.

Hannes frowned and shook his head. "No. They didn't come back yet. I went to check on the kids before coming here."

"Not back yet?" I asked with a slight gasp.

 _Where did Grisha take Eren? Are they safe? Are they alive? Will I get into trouble if I suddenly abandon my post to search for them?_

"Don't worry. I'm sure they'll be back soon" Hannes said as he put a hand on my shoulder to reassure me.

"I guess so. I just pray that they're safe." I said as I started to walk away.

Levi remained silent and followed after me and grouped up with the rest of the Levi's squad including Commander Erwin. I walked towards my group of friends and Levi went to talk to Erwin.

"Good morning Alice" Petra greeted me with her warm smile.

"Hey Petra" I said, smiling back.

"I heard that you live in a room right next to Captain Levi now. Am I right?" Gunther whispered to me while winking.

"Yeah. I bet he's pretty anal about keeping the room clean huh?" Bozado said as his tongue got bit in the process. "Ouch!"

"Uh...well..." I didn't know what to say. It's all embarrassing that my friends know.

"Pretty soon the two of you will get married" Eld said with such a serious tone. He had his arms crossed and head nodded.

"Huh!? What!?" I shouted with my face getting heated.

Petra stood next to Eld and lightly slapped his arm. "Oh Eld. Don't tease the girl like that"

They all know that I have some strong feelings towards the Captain. I just didn't think that they would playfully tease me about it. _Even more embarrassing..._

"Oh maybe they're in a secret relationship. You'll never know." Gunther said while winking at me again.

Now my face was heating up even more and I can feel my ears burning. My palms were even getting sweaty.

"Look her head is about to bake!" Bozado shouted, pointing and laughing at me.

"You men are so mean" Petra said as she linked arms with me. "Respect Alice!" The serious tone in her voice made the guys shut their mouths.

"Thanks Petra" I said while smiling at her.

"Don't worry. That's what girls are for" She smiled back. "You know, I bet you must've seen Heichou half naked or something huh?" Now it was Petra's turn to wink at me.

"P-Petra!" I couldn't get any words out of my mouth. The crimson color began to flush across my face once again.

"Ha! So it did happen!? Ooh Alice you naughty girl!" Petra said while patting my back and giggling.

Eld, Gunther and Bozado had their jaws dropped and just stared at me, shocked from what they just heard.

"N-No!" I stuttered. "T-That didn't happen! Honest!"

My hands were waving around in the air in sheer embarrassment. _Why must it come to this!?_

Bozado then whispered to Gunther's ear. " _I bet she enjoyed the view."_ This caused Gunther and Eld, whom must've overheard it, began snickering among themselves.

Petra was still laughing from her comment earlier as she hunched over with her arms over her stomach. "This is so funny!"

"Oh my gosh" I buried my face in my hands. I'm just too embarrassed to say anything.

"What are the four of you doing to Alice?"

Everyone stopped their laughter and froze in place. We all turned and faced the owner of the voice. It just so happened to be Captain Levi with Commander Erwin standing beside him. We all saluted towards them and stood in a straight line.

"What is so funny about Alice today?" Erwin asked with his usual calm demeanor.

"Oh. It's nothing Commander Erwin. Just an inside joke. That's all. haha..." I said to him, waving my hand off to assure him that it really was nothing.

"I see." He said, raising an eyebrow towards me but then changed back to his usual expression. He then cleared his throat, "There is a special mission I have for the Operations Squad right now." Erwin said as we all put on our serious faces.

"What is it Commander Erwin?" Eld asked with curiosity.

"We're going to the Reiss chapel." Levi answered nonchalantly.

"Reiss Chapel?" I questioned, eyebrow raised. "What for?"

"The Reiss Chapel was destroyed last night. There are reports of several corpses discovered." Erwin began to answer. "There seems to be no indication on who or what had done this. I would like all of you to head there immediately to investigate. I'm sure the Military Police has done their investigation but I would still like the six of you to do a closer inspection. I believe they might have missed something."

Looking at the Commander, I could tell there was something about this case that has drawn to him. _That's the Commander for you. I know that he's determined to find out the truth about the society and why Titan's existed in our world. If only I can know why this particular case at the Reiss chapel is so interesting to him._

"You heard him. Let's go." Levi spoke, interrupting my train of thought as we all saluted towards Erwin and saddled our horses.

* * *

"Levi Heichou, why is it so important for us to investigate the Reiss chapel?" Petra asked

"Erwin suspect that there may be some foul play involved. But we will see for ourselves when we get there." He answered.

I've heard that the Reiss family is a wealthy family with a lot of royalty. Their chapel is located in a within Wall Sina which makes it difficult to get to. Usually all chapels are located near the city like area within Wall Sina, but this particular chapel seems to be located at a secluded area within Orvud District. It just seems very strange to me that we are travelling to a chapel in an unknown area.

Once we all made it to the Reiss chapel, the first thing I noticed was the sight of the destruction. The chapel itself looked like it was torn apart by something big. _No._ Gigantic. _Yeah. Gigantic._ Almost as if a titan was here and destroyed the entire building. _But that's just a dumb theory in my mind._

My nose immediately caught some vile odor. _I smell blood. Dry but still fresh in a way, as if it just happened overnight_. This chapel was destroyed last night. _Not too long ago._ Even going around the area, I noticed five corpses. They were all crushed to death in a horrible way. Each body had a significant amount of blood around them. It was a gruesome sight to see. Three of those victims were just kids too.

"This is so sad." I said while staring at the crushed bodies.

I kneel down on what could possibly be the youngest victim and examined it. The way that the body was crushed seemed as if something huge had stomped on the person. Some of these bodies even had their limbs ripped out in a vicious way too. I went to examine another body and it was another kid. This kid had his body crunched and curled up like someone used the body to make a paper ball. His bone was sticking out of his skin and his eyes even popped out of the socket.

"Gruesome huh?"

I turned around to see Levi talking to me. Our eyes met instantly and I looked away slightly to not feel embarrassed.

"Yeah. Who are the victims anyways?" I asked.

"These five victims here are none other than members of the Royal Reiss family" Bozado came and answered my question.

"The Royal Reiss family?" I questioned, even though it should've been obvious that the bodies are respectably theirs.

"Yeah. It seems almost the entire family got killed last night" Bozado said, crossing his arms and biting his tongue.

"Why would anyone harm the Reiss family though?" I asked. I turned my attention to Levi. _Maybe he can explain more about the royal family._

"This family are well known among certain types of people. They usually keeps things to themselves and don't like to get involved with people outside of their family line. Even though this is the family, I counted five dead bodies. They have a family of seven. Two are missing." Levi explained.

I walked around again and took a closer look at the dead bodies to get a better idea of who the family members are. The two bodies I saw earlier were definitely the children of the family. The next two bodies I found were just as gruesome as the young ones. They were also gruesomely crushed. One body was possibly a teenage boy but I couldn't tell because his body parts were missing. The other body was a woman's body. Her head was separated from her body and she had her eyes wide open. _What a sad death for them._

Gunther and Eld pointed at a body underneath a huge pile of bricks and rocks. This must be the fifth Reiss member. This body must have been crushed from point blank when this building collapsed. The only thing we can see from the body was his or her feet as they are twisted in opposite ways.

"Heichou was right." Petra spoke as she stood next to me. "Two members of the Reiss family are missing"

"Do you know who are the missing family members?" I asked

"One of them is most likely the father. I did not see an adult man as a victim here" Bozado said.

"Then that means the other person is probably another child" Eld added in.

"What makes you so sure that it's another child that's missing?" Gunther asked

"Because I have a feeling it is." Eld replied coolly.

I just stood there and stared at the man. _How is Eld so sure? Does he know something that we don't know?_

"Guys, look at this." Petra called to our attention as she led us to an area where there were massive piles of ashes

"Where did all these ashes come from?" Bozado questioned.

I walked up to the pile of ashes. I wanted to touch it because there was steam emitting from the pile. As I watched the steam floating around, I slowly reached my hand forward to touch the ashes but then Levi's hand stopped mine from moving further.

"Don't touch it." Levi said. "It may burn you judging from the looks of that steam."

The both of us made eye contact and I could feel my face getting heated. I don't know if it's from the steam or the warm feeling of Levi's hand. After blinking a couple times, Levi let's go of my hand and I darted my eyes away.

"Oh" Was the only thing that escaped my lips as I moved my hand down. "What could this be Levi?"

"I don't know. But there is something suspicious going on." Levi said as he examined the area again.

I followed his gaze around our surroundings and spotted something on the ground near the pile of ashes.

"Hey!" I shouted while running towards the object. "I see something!" I knelt down and picked up a syringe. _What is this doing here?_

"A syringe?" Petra questioned, eyeing the said syringe in confusion.

"Why is there a syringe here?" Bozado questioned, puzzled as well.

"I don't know. But I will report everything we've seen here." Eld said as he kept a mental note on the discovery.

"Hey! There's a trail of blood here that leads inside the woods!" Gunther shouted as the rest of us turned our attentions towards him.

I walked towards Gunther and looked at the trail he found. The bloodied trail was a bit dry but it does seem as if someone was trying to escape this area. _Escaping from what though is the real question in mind..._

The trail leads us out of the chapel and onto an open field towards the woods. Just looking at the woods seemed a bit dangerous. Yet at the same time, I have an anxious feeling. I don't know why but I have a very strange feeling that there is something wrong with this area.

"I'll go in the woods. Everyone else stay here and keep looking around." Levi said as he stepped forward, approaching the suspicious looking area.

"Captain wait!" I said while running after Levi. "I'm coming with you. I have a very strange feeling about this place and I don't want you to go alone."

Levi looked at me for a long minute then looked back at everyone else before nodding his head. "Okay. Just stay close to me."

With that, the two of us entered the woods together. It was fairly dark with all the trees and shade around us. We kept following the trail of blood and it felt like the trail was never ending.

"Levi, there is something wrong with this place." I repeated my statement from earlier. A shiver suddenly ran down my back as I tried my best to ignore the feeling.

"What do you mean?" He asked, raising an eyebrow towards me.

"I just have an odd theory of what could've happened to the chapel last night." I paused briefly before taking in a deep breath to say the next thing. "Call me strange but, I suspect that somehow..." I paused again and turned my head slightly to stare at my captain. "I strongly believe that a titan was involved. I don't know how, but it's just my gut feeling."

"What makes you think a titan was involved?"

"Well" I said, placing a finger to my chin. "The way the victims were placed before us. They were all crushed by something that doesn't fit the description of the building collapsing on them. Also, with the pile of ashes discovered, there are no signs a fire at the chapel. Those ashes and steam reminded me of titans decomposing." I took another deep breath and spoke about my main concern. "What bugged me the most is that we are in a secluded area that's in the middle of nowhere. We're absolutely nowhere near Wall Maria or the Shingenshina District. So how could a titan get this far?"

"Seems to be a logical theory you go there." Levi spoke after a moment of silence.

I couldn't help but to let out a slight frown. _This theory would fit more towards Hange than me._ "We don't know for sure if this is actually true. I may be right but then I could be wrong."

"I'll keep your theory in mind."

Right when Levi finished his sentence, he immediately stopped walking and just stared at the distance ahead of us.

"Something wrong Levi?"

I stopped next to him and looked at him, unsure of why he suddenly stopped walking.

His facial expression changed to a more serious look, being on high alert now. That means something's up.

"There someone up ahead." He spoke quietly.

I followed Levi's gave and realized that he was correct. I can faintly see a small child standing there alone, hands to the child's face. The both of us nodded in our heads in unison, signalling to take our our weapons and not let our guards down. I quietly took out my blades and slowly approached the figure. As the both of us got closer to the child, Levi whispered something to me.

"The trail of blood ends with that person." Levi said as I stopped walking and looked at the trail. It did end over there.

"Who is it?" I asked as we once again walked closer to the child.

When we finally had a good view of who this person was, my eyes went wide and I dropped my blades. This person whom Levi and I were sneaking up on was Eren. Eren was just standing there crying alone.

 _Why is he by himself? Where's Grisha? What is Eren doing in the woods near the Reiss chapel?_ It all just doesn't make sense.

"Oi. Isn't that your kid?" Levi asked, pointing his blade towards Eren.

"Yeah..." I said softly, regaining my composure from the shock. "Eren!"

I immediately took haste and ran towards the young boy. "Eren! Eren!" I cried out to him.

Eren moved his hands from his eyes. Eyes all puffed up from the crying. His eyes widened at the sight of Levi and I. "A-Alice?"

Once I got to Eren, I quickly fell to my knees and pulled him into a hug. Tears suddenly streamed down my face from touching Eren's cold body. "Shh." I cooed at him. "It's okay Eren. I'm here now. You're safe in my arms."

In that moment, his body began to shake and I could feel my shoulder getting wet. "M-My Dad..."

"What about him?" I asked him calmly.

He couldn't answer my question. Eren just kept crying even more. I used my free hand to wipe the tears away and looked at the boy. "Eren. What happened to your father?" I asked again.

Suddenly, a hand was placed on my shoulder and I turned to see Levi. "Look around you Alice" He said.

My attention was so focused on Eren that I didn't bother to check my surroundings. When I did, my eyes widened in horror. The entire area surrounding us was covered with blood. There's even a trickle of blood down the corner of Eren's lips!

 _This is truly a horrid sight to see._

"My God...Eren" I tried speaking, still speechless from I'm witnessing. "W-what happened here? What did your Dad do to you?"

I looked at him and Eren looked speechless as well. His eyes were dry, possibly from dehydration from all the crying, and wide.

"He's...He's...over there..." Eren pointed at a spot where I think Grisha was. That specific spot had Grisha's glasses on the ground and a severed arm lying next to it.

I made eye contact with Levi and he looks like he's on the same page as me. Without any hesitation, I stepped away from Eren and cautiously walked towards the spot Eren pointed at earlier. The glasses and severed arm was just a couple feet ahead of us.

As I approached the two objects, I couldn't help but to gasp. _Is that Grisha's arm?_ The article of clothing on the arm was brown with a white ruffled sleeve at the end. Exactly what Grisha wore last night. _If that's the case, then where's the rest of his body? What happened last night?_

"Eren." I called out the young boy's name again. "Talk to me. What happened here last night? Where is your Father?"

I was hoping I can get an answer but Eren remained quiet. I then looked back at Levi and he just stared at the arm on the ground. Kind of made me wonder what he's thinking about right now.

"I...I don't know where Dad went. Over there was the last time I saw him." Eren finally spoke softly.

"Do you know anything about the Reiss chapel?" I asked calmly.

"I...I can't r-remember anything." His voice started to crack. "T-The only thing I can remember is l-leaving the shelter with my D-Dad and then I woke up not too long ago."

I knelt in front of Eren and stroked his hair back. "Did you see your father when you woke up?"

He shook his head as new streams of tears ran down his face. "No. I didn't see my Dad when I woke up. I don't know where he is. That spot was when I last saw him."

I looked back at the glasses and severed arm. I can't tell whether Grisha is dead or alive. Everything is seriously becoming very strange around here. I touched Eren's forehead and its burning. His body was also shivering. _The poor boy must be really cold from being out here all night._ I quickly removed my cape and wrapped it around Eren to keep him warm.

"Levi. I need to take him back now." I said, looking up towards my Captain.

He nodded his head in agreement. "We'll all go back. I think our investigation is done."

* * *

Once Levi and I regrouped with the rest of the squad, I knew my comrades were going to gang up on us with loads of questions. I managed to get them to leave Eren alone and Levi only told them very little information on our discovery.

We all made our way back through Wall Rose and I kept a close eye on Eren. Questions kept swarming in my mind:

 _What **did** happen last night? Why did Grisha bring Eren to the Reiss chapel? Where exactly is Grisha? Is he alive? Is he dead? There's just his severed arm. If Grisha is dead, where's his body? _

I can't believe all of this happened. It all seemed too fast. If this is what's going on in the present, I'm afraid to know what's going to happen in the future.

"Eren!?" Hannes shouted as I brought the boy back to the shelter. He ran towards us with eyes wide, shocked to see that I had found Eren.

"Hannes. I found Eren deep in the woods near the Reiss Chapel." I looked at him and he had a serious face.

"What was he doing there?" Hannes asked.

"I don't know. I think Grisha took him there. Eren has no memories about last night. The last thing he knows was when Grisha took him away from the shelter." I told him.

"Bring him to me. I'll wash him up and take him back to Mikasa and Armin." Hannes said as he put his hand on Eren's shoulder.

"I will go report to Erwin." I kneel down towards Eren. "I'll be right back Eren. I'll see you later, okay?" He nodded his head and I patted him. "You're safe now."

A reassuring smile was given to Eren from me. The only thing he could do was nod his head and I left the shelter. I headed back to Headquarters and walked into Commander Erwin's office. The rest of the Special Operations Squad was there and I explained everything to him. Levi even proposed my theory towards Erwin.

"I see." Erwin spoke, placing a finger to his chin. "It does seem like there's foul play from the chapel then. This crucial piece of information will be passed to Captain Hange later. As for that boy you found the in woods Alice, has he said anything?" Erwin looked at me to ask.

I shook my head and frowned. "No sir. Eren wasn't able to recall last night's event. He has no clue how he ended up in that area."

"Very well. Come back in tomorrow for your next assignments and meetings. You are all dismissed for the day."

With that we saluted towards Commander Erwin and took our leave. Just as I was about to exit the room, Erwin called for me.

"Alice. Do you have a moment?"

"Eh?" I walked back to Erwin and stood in front of him. We waited until everyone was out of sight before Erwin spoke again. "Is there anything I can do for your family Alice?"

I was a bit surprised to hear this from Erwin. _It's pretty strange to_ _see Erwin act this kind before. Let alone him being kind to me._

"Oh uh...I'm not really sure. I don't know what is there you can do." I admitted. _It is true though. I'm not exactly sure what I can do for Armin, Mikasa and Eren._

"Have they talked about their future plans?" He asked.

I knew where he was going with this. Erwin could probably tell that the fall of Maria would most likely give the kids a reason to join the Military. Especially Eren and the Scout Regiment. "Well Sir, they mentioned to me that they planned on joining the academy in two years to become a soldier. So I guess I'm going to make sure they prepare for it."

Looking at the Commander's face, I could tell that a smirk had escaped his lips. "I look forward to that day Alice. We must always fight for humankind. No matter the cost."

"Yes sir..."

"By the way," Erwin spoke as he took a step closer to me. I looked up and made eye contact with Erwin, slightly taken back by his sudden approach towards me. _Isn't Commander Erwin standing a bit too close to me? We are literally a few inches apart from each other._ He then raised his right hand and placed it on my shoulder. "You can always come to me if you need anything Alice."

"Eh?" I didn't know how to react. It's weird for me to see Erwin act like a friend towards me. I guess that's because I've been thinking of him as a boss a lot that I forget that he was the one who got me here in the first place. _Erwin is a nice guy after all._

"Thank you Commander Erwin. Thank you for being so kind to me. I will go to you when I do need help. For now, I think the kids and I are fine on our own. Thank you again." I smiled and saluted towards Erwin before leaving the room.

 _What was that all about with Erwin? It kind of felt strange when he stood close to me. It is awfully strange of him to show so much kindness towards me as well. It was almost as if there's a sign I'm missing from him._

"Must be my imagination." I whispered to myself while heading out of headquarters and towards the shelter. _Time to go check up on the kids. Especially Eren._

* * *

"Hey welcome back Sis!" Armin greeted me with joy. He ran up to up and immediately gave me a heartwarming hug.

"Hi Armin" I greeted him back. "How's Eren doing?"

Armin didn't say anything and looked at the corner. There, Eren was sitting alone, knees to his chest and remained silent.

Mikasa walked up to me and stared at Eren's direction with a frown. "He wouldn't say a word to us when he came back."

"It's okay. Just let Eren have some alone time. He just needs to think. That's all." I said gave the young girl a reassuring smile. It's very nice to know that she cares deeply for Eren.

"Is it true that Mr. Jaeger is gone Alice?" Mikasa asked while looking at the ground. _I guess Hannes must've told her._

"Well he's not _exactly_ gone Mikasa." I half lied. "Grisha is just not found at the moment. But don't worry. We'll find him eventually." I patted her head. "I just dropped by to check up on you guys. If you ever need anything, just ask for me or Hannes. Alright?"

"Don't worry. We know what to do Alice" Armin said as he saluted to me.

A gave out a light chuckled and saluted back towards my brother. I then turned around and approached Eren. "You okay Eren?"

"I'll be fine." Eren answered softly. It was a good enough answer to me so I started to walk away until Eren spoke again. "Alice." I stopped my tracks and spun back around towards the boy. "Thank you for finding me back there. I don't know what I would've done if I was alone."

I quickly walked back to Eren and pulled him into a hug. "I was worried when you left yesterday. So finding you was one of my main priorities. I'm just so relieved to know that you're safe and well. Now, rest up. You had a fever when I found you so I want you to have a good night sleep. Same goes for you two also." I said while pointing at Armin and Mikasa.

All three kids nodded their heads and sat down to talk to each other while I headed out and went to my home. Well, technically my new home with Levi.

About halfway home, I started to feel the cold breeze and it made me shiver. I had forgotten that I gave my cape to Eren earlier so I didn't have anything to keep myself warm. I wrapped my arms around myself to stay warm and kept walking until I heard someone call my name from behind.

"Alice."

I turned around to see that it was Levi.

"Oh. Hello Captain Levi. I was just about to go home." I said.

Levi didn't say anything and walked towards me as I stood there and watched. He then took off his green cape held it out towards me. "Take this, you're cold."

"Huh?" My eyes widened in shock from this and with an impatient noise, Levi wrapped the cape around my shoulder. I started blushing at the fact that he was doing this to me. Just the idea of Levi being nice to me always makes my heart beat fast.

"T-Thank you Captain." I stuttered, hopefully he'll just think it's from the cold weather. "What are you doing around here anyways?"

"I had a private meeting with Erwin. Then I thought about finding you." Levi answered.

"Find me? Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe I like your company whenever we walk." He said nonchalantly.

 _He likes to have me around him!?_ That seriously made my heart jump. It was quite flattering to hear this from Levi. _Seriously, what's with Levi and Erwin today? Why are they being extra nice towards me? Really strange..._

"I see. I like walking with you too." I said while chuckling.

I could tell Levi was staring at me as we continued walking together. I avoided eye contact with him and felt the uneasiness of his stare.

"What do you think those kids will do?" Levi asked, breaking the short silence.

"Well right now, I'm not sure. But I do know they are patiently waiting for the academy in two years to become soldiers. I know I'll be there to support them." I said with confidence.

I pulled up the courage to look at Levi and we made eye contact. As we looked at each other, I could see a slight smirk coming from him.

"Did I say something that amused you Levi?" I asked in confusion.

"No. I'm just thinking about how its not so bad to have you in my squad." he responded.

"Eh? What do you mean by that Captain?" I asked, feeling even more confused.

Levi was silent for a minute and then looked back at me.

"Lets just say, I would like to get to know you more Alice." He said as we approached our building and headed inside.

I was dumbfounded to hear that from him. _He wants to get to know me more? Maybe Levi and I can actually be really close after all...Maybe my feelings for him will grow stronger. I do hope nothing goes wrong with this connection I have with him right now._

As we approached out rooms, I took off the cape and handed it back to Levi. "Here's your cape back. Thank you for letting me use it."

"It's whatever. Go get some rest. We had a long day." He said as he grabbed the cloak and entered his room.

I opened my room door and went in.

 _I hope tomorrow will be a better day._


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter has been revised/rewritten for improvement purposes. I DO NOT own Attack On Titan/Shingeki No Kyojin.**

"Today, you are the 104th cadet corps of the Southern Division. You are all here to become well trained soldiers." I projected while standing in front of a huge crowd of cadets. "We will make sure that you all get stronger. I want to know that you are all here with determination. I want you all to work hard and make sure you're ready to protect your loved ones and humankind. My name is Alice Arlet and I will be your lecture instructor for the next three years!"

 _Two years has passed, year 847, since the fall of Wall Maria. The kids had gotten slightly mature now, just being at fourteen year old and today, they are here to become soldiers._

Eren and Mikasa were able to take care of themselves during the past two years which made me happy. I think Carla and Grisha would be happy too. Speaking of which, I did went on numerous search parties for Grisha ever since his disappearance but he is still nowhere to be found. I really don't know if Grisha is dead or alive but I do hope to find an answer one day so that Eren can have closure on where his father truly is.

I looked at all the trainee's around me. There are a lot of young folks here. All within the same youthful age as my kids. The reason why I'm standing here today as an instructor for these newly cadets was simply because Commander Erwin advised me to. According to Erwin, he mentioned to me that I'd be the perfect person to teach our new cadets about the titans. _Honestly, I thought Hange would be the perfect person for this..._

With my mouth wide open, I started projecting my voice once again. "I know going through these lectures may seem boring but it is vital to know information about the enemy and how to defeat them."

I surveyed the area once again and eyed each cadet. I finally noticed Armin, Mikasa and Eren sitting at different spots. I let my lips curl slightly at the sight of them. I haven't really been able to see the kids much since I've been on search parties and doing lots of paper work for Commander Erwin. _I'm glad I get to see them grow maturely._

"Miss Arlet?" a boy called out to me as he raised his hand.

I could feel myself cringe slightly from hearing that. "No need to be formal towards me." I said politely. "That makes me feel too old. Just call me Alice. I'm fine with it."

"Are you one of humanities strongest? Second to Captain Levi?" The young boy asked. I then heard some whispering and chatters among each other while I eyed the kid.

With an eyebrow raised, I gave him an answer. "Well, I don't want to be labeled as humanities second strongest. There's still Miche Zacharius who is said to be. I'm just an Elite soldier whose committed in protecting humankind." I said as I saluted towards the cadets.

Another round of whispered chattering were among the cadets as I picked up a small piece of chalk and eyed a cadet sleeping on the side of the room. With the chalk still in hand, I flicked it towards the young man and heard the room echoed with 'ooh'. As the chalk hit his well shaved head, he immediately woke up from his slumber, stood up in shock and saluted wit his left hand. "C-Conny Springer at your service SIR!"

There were immediate snickering among the cadets from his sudden goofiness and oblivious to his surrounding. I just stood there with my hands on my hips, glaring at the young man. "Springer. First, you are in a room for your Titan lecture. If you do not want to be here, the door is there. Second you are saluting to me with the wrong hand. Third, I am not a 'sir'."

I could see a shade of pink appearing across Conny's face as he stood there in embarrassment. "M-My apologies Alice."

A smirk appeared on my face as I picked up another piece of chalk and began writing on the board. "Tell me Springer. What do you know about titans?"

"Well..." He began hesitating. "I never seen them. But based from the stories I heard, they're large and scary. They only eat humans and are a big threat to humanities existence."

"Not bad Springer." I said, nodding my head in approval. "You may sit down." He did as told. "Now, if I catch anyone else sleeping under my watch, I won't be as nice. There will be consequences and punishment. Got that?"

Nervous heads were being nodded and I could almost hear some intimidated gulps. "Okay. Let's get started."

With that, I spent the remaining lecture time giving an introduction of what humanities view of titans are and where we think they originated from. I even gave a brief explanation about our military system and what each job role does.

"That is all for today. Please try and remember all these information I give out. You may be tested on these so be aware. DISSMISS!"

All the cadets stood from their seats and saluted towards me as I responded the same. I was then approached by the kids as each cadet were slowly leaving the classroom setting.

My little brother was the first to greet me. "Hi Alice."

I couldn't help but to smile at the sight of my brother. "Look at you Armin. My little brother has matured and is now a cadet." I placed my hand on his head and ruffled his hair.

"It's good to see you here Alice." Mikasa said with a small smile. I smiled back at the girl. _My God she's grown to be a beautiful young woman. She has definitely grown tall, taller than me, and has a more serious look on her face._

My attention now faced towards Eren and he still had that same look of determination I've seen since the fall of Wall Maria. "Eren. You've grown too. Almost as tall as me now." I said, letting out a hearty laughter.

"I stuck to my word Alice. I'm here to train hard and be the best." Eren said with all his pride. "I will be the strongest and I WILL get revenge for my mother." His fist tightened and I could see him gritting his teeth.

I lifted my hand and patted his head. "I know Eren." I said quietly, giving him a small smile. "I know you'll be one of the strongest. I will always cheer you on."

He nodded his head with that determined smile still on his face. I could see Mikasa nodding in agreement and Armin giving the same smile. _They sure have grown._

"I'm curious to know whose your head instructor."

"Keith Shadis." Mikasa answered.

My eyes widened in shock from hearing that. _Did not expect that._ "Really? I'm surprised to hear that. Keith was the previous Scouts Regiment commander. Good to know he's still helping out in the military."

"Well he's very intimidating and mean." Armin said quietly.

I couldn't help but to laugh. "Yeah. Keith is not that bad. He's just very strict."

"We should head back before we get into trouble for curfew." Mikasa said.

"I guess you're right." Eren added.

"Head back to your cabins kids. Tomorrow's going to be a tough training day. I know I been through that." I said, letting out another laugh.

"See you Sis." Armin said, him, Mikasa and Eren waving towards me.

"See you all." I waved back.

As the three of them exited the room, I picked up my eraser and began erasing the notes on my board. I was enjoying my moment for silence for the next couple minutes until it was interrupted by the sound of someone opening the door.

I turned around to see Levi.

"Hello Captain Levi." I greeted him with a smile.

He returned my greeting with a nod. "You ready to go home?"

"Yeah. Give me another minute." I answered with another smile.

Levi and I had actually gotten pretty close during these past two years. The both of us walked home together a lot more often and I normally get teased by my friends about that. The more I got closer to Levi, the more deeper my feelings for him are. I still don't know how Levi feels about me, but I am extremely content with the relationship I currently have with him.

"Don't forget to clap those erasers." Levi said as he grabbed them out of my hand.

He walked up to the window, opened it and began clapping the eraser. I couldn't help but to stand there and let out a small smile. _His quirky cleaning personality is cute._ I couldn't help but to blush at this.

"Here. It's all clean now." He handed them back to me.

"Thank you Levi."

I grabbed them and felt my fingers brushing his hand. I ignored the blush that crept across my face and quickly placed the erasers back to the board. With that, the two of us exited the training grounds and walked home.

The breeze felt nice and the air was doable. It's just another regular walk home with Levi.

"How was your first day?" Levi asked, breaking the silence.

"It was okay. I did what I had to do. I could see the look of determination among most of them while others had an unsure feeling." I answered quietly, still enjoying the breeze.

"What about those three?"

I knew he was talking about Eren, Armin and Mikasa. "I know I've been pretty absent to them these past two years. I'm really happy to see them as mature adults now. Seeing them as part of our new cadets, it sort of made me feel warm to know that they are willing to do this for the sake of humanity."

Levi was silent for a brief moment but then responded. "That's good to know."

From the corner of my eye, I see catching a glimpse of me and then looked away. I couldn't help but to let the corner of my lips curl. "How was the expedition today? Seeing you this early means that something happened." A frown formed knowing that this information was most likely true.

"Yeah. Erwin planned on moving forward to reclaim Wall Maria. Unfortunately, a few casualties happened and we retreated." Levi answered, a disappointed tone was sensed.

"I see..." I said quietly, lowering my head slightly as I put my hands behind my back and played with my fingers. "I wish I could be there to help. Maybe then those lives could've been saved."

Levi didn't say anything, looking at him from the corner of my eye, I could tell he was in deep thought. "I...prefer you to stay within the walls for the time being." He said. This caused me to stop my pace and I stood there in confusion. "Why's that Captain? Do you not want me to be out there?"

"No." He said bluntly. My eyes widened from his response but before I could speak, he explained himself. "Erwin advised for you to stay here and teach right? That's because he wants you to see your kids grow and become strong soldiers. Who knows what might happen to them after they graduate. Plus, who knows what could've happened to you if you stayed on expeditions with us."

I could feel my chest tightened from his explanation. _Levi's right. I don't know exactly know where the kids will go after graduation. They could join any branch they desire and that will definitely cause us to not see each other. Plus, if I continue to assist Commander Erwin on future expeditions, there's a slight chance I could die even if I am one of Levi's elite soldiers. I guess I understand why Erwin did this for me. How kind of him._

"You're right Levi. Thanks for reminding me of that. I don't know what I would do if wasn't able to see them." I said, smiling towards Levi.

Levi was staring at me for a moment but then looked away. I'm not sure if what I saw was true, but I could've sworn there was a hint of red across his cheeks. "You really are something..." I heard him whisper.

"Hm? Something wrong Captain?"

He shook his head. "No. Just thinking about something." He said and began walking away. "Let's go home."

With that, I didn't say anything and following along. I don't understand what Levi's comment meant but I felt glad to know that the two of us were able to bond more.


	8. Chapter 8

***This chapter has been rewritten for improvement purposes! All grammatical errors are my mistake and has been un-beta'd.**

 ***All credit goes to Hajime Isayama and I do NOT own Attack on Titan/Shingeki No Kyojin. I only own Alice Arlet.**

* * *

"Eren! Are you fooling around!?" I screamed as I see Eren dangling from the maneuvering device.

"YOU THINK THIS IS A JOKE JAEGER!?" Keith yelled from behind.

Today was supposed to be the maneuvering device training for these young cadets to test out their balance. Apparently, Eren can't seem to get the hang of it while everyone else mastered the skill.

"No! I'm not fooling around Alice! I keep flipping over on this thing!" Eren shouted as he tried to regain his balance.

"My goodness" I said while shaking my head. Keith was standing there, unhappy from Eren's failed attempt.

I helped Eren down as I hear other cadets taunting him and mocking him.

"Ha! Serves you right for being all braggy about becoming the best soldier Jaeger!"

"What's wrong? Can't handle a few ropes and strings?"

"You're all talk. You're not special!"

I was getting annoyed at all of these taunts that I started to yell at them.

"Listen up!" I screamed "If any of you decide to make fun, taunt or mock at my kid again, I will make sure you will never, EVER, graduate here. GOT THAT!?"

Everyone was speechless and I felt Keith's hand on my shoulder. "Miss Arlet. No need to raise your voice at them." He said to me quietly. Keith then stepped forward and I could hear him taking a deep breath. "YOU PATHETIC CADETS THINK THIS IS WORTH MOCKING!? I DARE YOU TO GO OUTSIDE THOSE WALLS IF YOU THINK YOU CAN HANDLE IT!"

All eyes were wide from Keith's yelling and I stood there and gawked at this. After being silent for a long minute, all the cadets saluted towards us.

"WE'RE SORRY!" Was the response we received.

"Better. I want to see true soldiers in all of you. I know some of you wants to be in the same position Keith Shadis and I are in now, just know that it takes a lot of hard work and skills to get this far." I said while pacing back and forth.

It's only been a few months since the first day at the academy. Armin, Mikasa and Eren were doing well here so far until today. Eren just can't seem to get the hang of these devices.

"Jaeger! I will give you one more chance after lunch! If you fail again, then I will send you home!" Keith said to Eren.

Eren didn't say anything. He just nodded his head and looked disappointed in himself. I couldn't help but to frown slightly. _Eren, I know you can do this._

After the cadets were dismissed for lunch, I approached the three kids.

"Geez Alice, you didn't have to be so scary to everyone." Eren said with a frown. "Especially from Keith's yelling."

"Lighten up Eren. I just don't like how they were treating you. You're my kid now." I said while patting his head.

"Oh come on! You're gonna embarrass me" He said while trying to move away from my touch.

I couldn't help but to laugh. It's fun messing around with kids as much as possible before they graduate.

"Hey Sis, I don't think anyone will mess with Eren again. You and Keith are tough instructors." Armin said.

"That's how it's going to be for the next few years" I said with an evil grin.

"You need to do better Eren" Mikasa said to Eren. She was brushing off some dirt from his jacket.

"I know. I just don't understand why I can't get the hang of it" Eren said in disappointment. "It seemed so easy seeing you guys on it."

"It's all about balance Eren. You need to be well balanced in order to work with the device well." Armin said.

"Yeah well its a lot tougher to me than you guys" Eren said with a defeated sigh.

"Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it. Go and get some lunch you three. I'll see you guys tomorrow." I said, getting ready to head off.

"Where are you going Alice?" Mikasa asked.

"I have to go to headquarters. Have fun with Keith for the rest of the day" I said. Just as I was about to walk away, I stood next to Eren and gave him a hug. "Good luck Eren. I know you'll accomplish this difficult task. Just believe in yourself."

"O-Okay." Eren said quietly. I could see the boy blushing from my motherly affection towards him.

Letting out a chuckle, I waved goodbye to the kids and made my way to headquarters.

* * *

"You're done?" Levi asked as I entered his office.

"Yeah. Somewhat. I got a bit annoyed at these young ones so I needed a little break" I said as I sat on a chair across from him.

"Oh? What did they do?" He asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"They were taunting Eren because he couldn't use the maneuvering device correctly. I sort of yelled at each of them. So I just need to cool off." I said with a faint smile.

"Tch. You get annoyed at stupid things." Levi said as he pulled out some papers and started writing.

"Hey! No one messes with my kid!" I defended myself.

"I know." Levi sighed. "I know" He then grabbed a stack of paper and shoved them towards me. This time, my eyebrow was raised and I looked at him in confusion. "What are all of these papers for?"

"Throw them out for me. I don't need them" He answered.

"Why do you have so many?"

"Hange wanted me to look through it. It's too troublesome to look at them. Just throw them out." He said as he sat back on his chair.

I couldn't help but to chuckle. "Okay Captain." I said with a smile and left his office with the stack of paper in hand.

I headed to the garbage area just outside of the headquarters and tossed the papers inside the dumpster. One paper managed to slip out of the pile and landed on the ground. I bent down to pick it up and I ended up reading it.

It had musical notes on it. It looked pretty interesting. I know how to play a piano so this piece would probably be something worth practicing. _If I ever had the time._

I folded the piece of paper and placed it in my breast pocket. _This is something I want to keep._ I stood up and started to head back until I see Erwin leaving the building.

"Hello Commander Erwin" I said while saluting to him.

"Oh. Alice. Finished teaching?" He said, nodding towards me.

"Yeah. I just want to thank you again for giving me this opportunity" I said with a smile. "I really appreciate you letting me spend time with those kids."

"It was nothing." Erwin said nonchalantly. "I just wanted to make sure you spend as much time as possible with your family. Who knows what unfortunate even might happen in the future."

"You're right Commander." I said with a smile. "If you ever need my assistance on future expeditions, just know that I'll be ready at your service Erwin."

Erwin remained silent and stared at me. I could see an unusual expression written on his face but I couldn't tell what it was. "We'll see about that" He said as he smiled and patted my shoulder. _Erwin smiling is something I'll never used to. It's kind of weird to never see him smile around others._

"Where are you heading to?" I asked curiously.

"I'm going to speak to Commander Pixis. We have some important things to discuss" He answered.

"Oh okay. See you later Commander." He and I saluted each other and went separate ways.

* * *

"Levi." I spoke my Captains name while putting books away on his bookshelf. "You never really told me how your life was before the Survey Corps."

"Why do you want to know?" He asked. I could tell his eyebrow was raised behind me.

"Well, I know that we all have a life before the military. I'm just quite curious to know how your life was." I said as I turned around and shrugged.

He looked at me for a good minute before responding. "My previous life is private. I don't want to talk about it."

I could sense that Levi was uncomfortable with the thought of his life before the military. Feeling bad for making him think of possible bad memories, I walked up to him and gave him a warm smile. "That's fine Captain. You don't need to say anything." I then sat at the same chair across from him and let out a yawn. "Well, I am curious to know how Commander Erwin's life was before the military as well."

 _Imagine a young Erwin Smith. It's pretty funny seeing his usual serious expression on his younger self. I can't imagine it!_

"You seemed to be amused" Levi said, interrupting my train of thought.

"Yeah. I just imagined a younger Erwin. That's all" I said with a slight smile.

Levi sat there and stared at me. He then cleared his throat and looked away. "I know this is a serious topic I'm about to ask." He began to speak, catching my attention. "What will you do after those kids graduate? They'll be on their own. They may survive, they may not. Have you thought about that yet?"

I sat there in silence and let the thought sit in my mind. _Actually no. I haven't really thought about that yet. Knowing that they will probably be out there fighting, I'm scared to think that they will die young._

Thinking about this made me feel anxious. I could feel my hands shaking a bit as I gripped onto the armrest to calm myself. "Now that I think about it Captain. I'm sort of scared to know what'll be their outcome in the future. I don't want to lose them. Those kids are the only family I have." I looked at Levi and let out a sad smile. Then I got up from my seat and walked up to the window, staring at the sunset "They're grown ups now. So I guess I'll just have to respect whatever decision they make."

I didn't hear a response from Levi. All I could hear were quiet footsteps approaching me. I slightly turned my head to see Levi standing close to me.

"Is something wrong Levi?" I asked, surprised to see him at close proximity. _Why is Levi standing so close to me?_

He stood there and remained silent. Suddenly, Levi wrapped his arms around me and embraced me into a hug. I couldn't help but to widen my eyes in shock from his action. _Is Levi really hugging me? Am I dreaming? He's really hugging me?_

This is so unexpected of Levi. _Why is he hugging me?_ I could feel my face flushing and heart beating rapidly. I shouldn't be complaining, I'm really glad this is happening between Levi and I but I am extremely shocked to see him act this way.

"L-Levi?"

"Whatever happens Arlet..." He began speaking. "Don't lose hope. Got that?" He pulled away and stepped back. "Have trust in those kids. Be confident that they'll survive the real world after those three years."

I could still feel my face feeling hot and I tried my best to regain my composure. _This is the reason why I love Levi. No doubt about it. This is a side of him no one has ever seen. I'm really glad that he and I have gotten closer._ "You're right Captain. I should have trust in those kids."

He crossed his arms and sent me his usual stoic expression. "Feel better now?"

I returned his gaze with my bright smile. "Thank you Levi. I won't lose hope."

 _I hope the next three years will be something worth remembering._


	9. Chapter 9

**This chapter has been rewritten/revised for improvement purposes. Story has been written unbeta'd. All mistakes are my OWN.**

 **All credit to Attack on Titan/Shingeki No Kyojin goes to Hajime Isayama. I only OWN Alice Arlet (OC).**

* * *

 _Those three years were worth remembering._

I somehow bonded with the cadets and grew closer with the kids. All three of them managed to be part of the Top 10 ranking within the 104th Cadet Corps of the Southern Division. _I'm very proud of them._

"Congratulations to all of you." I said with pride. "Today is the last day as a cadet. You all worked hard to get this far. I'm very proud of you all." Keith didn't say anything. He just stood there and nodded his head in agreement.

Each of the cadets saluted towards the two of us.

"In a few days, you will all choose your desired branch to work under. You could either join the Scout Regiment, Garrison Regiment or Military Police, based on your ranking." Keith spoke up.

"It's all up to you. I thank you all for allowing me be your instructor. The real world starts now. Now is the time for all of you to make your decisions. Now is the time to be adults."

They all cheered in joy.

"You are all to be assigned to a squad and will work on responsibilities given. You are all dismissed to your work." Keith said with one final salute.

All the cadets parted ways as I happily approached the kids. _I'm very proud of them. They've grown up to be soldiers now._

"We did it!" Armin shouted in joy. Hugging him was the first thing I did.

"Finally, these three years has passed by so fast" Eren said with his fist in the air.

"Yeah. I learned a lot from you Alice." Mikasa added.

"I'm very proud of you three." I said as I jumped and hugged Mikasa and Eren.

"I can't believe we're going to graduate as official soldiers of the military now." Armin said in disbelief.

I nodded my head in agreement and let out a cheesy smile. "Time sure passed by fast. You should all head to the military post and get your assignments.

"What about you?" Mikasa asked. "What are you going to do Alice?"

"I'm going back to the Survey headquarters. I got to go back to my job." I said with a smile.

"Does that mean you'll be going on those expeditions again?" Armin asked with a slight frown.

"Indeed I will." I frowned back. "I mentally prepared myself for when this time come. We're most likely going to go separate ways. We may not be able to see each other a lot either. Now it's time for you three to be adults."

"Don't worry Alice. We're soldiers remember? We're here to win!" Eren said with his usual confidence.

I couldn't help but to let out a wide grin. "That's my boy." I said, pulling the three of them into a group hug. "Don't do anything crazy alright? Be safe!"

With that, I left the group and headed towards Survey headquarters and went straight to Erwin's office. I knocked on the door and it was Captain Hange that answered.

"Oi! Alice! Good to see you!" Hange exclaimed in joy.

"Hi Hange!" I greeted her back with much enthusiasm.

"Oh? Alice is here." Erwin said, seemingly glad to see me.

"Yes Commander. The academy is officially over. I'm back at your services." I said with a smile.

"Very well. I assume you know about our upcoming expedition?" Erwin asked.

I nodded my head. "I was informed from Captain Levi sir."

"We will be leaving in an hour." Erwin said. "Our expedition today will be-"

"It'll be an expedition for my research!" Hange said, cutting off Commander Erwin with her excitement as she clasped her hands together. "I can't wait to study them! Oh I'm so intrigued to learn more about them!"

"O-Oh.."

I was startled from Hange's shouting. "Shall I ready myself Commander?"

"Yes you should Alice." He responded. "Gather your equipment and report to Levi immediately."

"Yes sir!"

 _It's been three years since I last went on an expedition. I am ready to get back out there and risk my life for the sake of humanity. I am ready to help reclaim Wall Maria and eliminate those titans!_

* * *

"Alice! Are you ready yet!?" I heard Bozado yelling and knocking on my door.

"Coming!" I yelled as I put on my boots and opened the door to see my squad. Even Levi was there, leaning against the wall.

"Alice!" Petra squealed as she hugged me.

"Yeah. I'm ready for our next expedition." I said with confidence. _I'm glad to be reunited with the gang. I'm ready go venture out as an Elite soldier once again._

Eld looked at me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Be extra careful Alice. It's been a while since you went on an expedition. I wouldn't want you to die on my watch."

"Don't worry about her." Gunther spoke as he patted my shoulder. "Alice is a tough soldier. She is one of the strongest right?" He flashed me a grin while I smiled back.

My smile then turned to a frown. My chest suddenly felt tight, _something feels weird._ "I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling in my chest."

"Hn." Levi grunted, leaning off against the wall and walked towards me. "Don't worry yourself too much. If anything happens, I'll be there."

I let out a soft smile from Levi's response. _How caring of him._ Looking at Petra, I see her winking at me from afar and a blush crept up my face. "T-Thank you Captain..."

"I'm sure that horse of yours miss you." Bozado said, trying not to bite his tongue.

"Artemis is going to be happy when she sees me." I smiled at the thought of seeing my horse. It's been so long since I took her out on an adventure. Let alone a dangerous adventure.

"It's time to go." Levi said as he leaned off the wall and started walking ahead.

We all responded in unison and made our way to the stables. As I predicted, Artemis was really happy to see me as the same on my end. "Time to save humanity Artemis."

* * *

"Before we head out, we will be leaving through Trost District, our offense squad will attack any titans that gets in the way and outside of Wall Rose. As always, we do this for the sake of humanity. Our lives are risked to ensure victory."

We all nodded our heads and saluted towards our Commander.

"Gather your horses. We leave now!" Erwin yelled.

Everyone hopped on their horses and we all awaited at our positions. Sitting on Artemis, I was alongside Petra while the others were ahead of us. Levi all the way in front of course.

"So Alice." Petra said my name deviously. I looked at her with an eyebrow raised. She pointed at Levi and then sent me a flirty wink. "Have you decided to tell him yet?"

I couldn't help but to blush in embarrassment. "N-No Petra!" I stuttered. "I mentioned that I didn't want to tell him!"

"Oh come on!" She pouted. "I really want to see the two of you get together. Even the guys think so."

I looked ahead and noticed the three men whistling to themselves, pretending not to hear our conversation. "The four of your are ridiculous." I said, shaking my head."

As soon as I finished speaking, the inner gates of Wall Rose opened. "MOVE OUT!" Erwin screamed as our horses neighed and we ride out.

* * *

"Yahhoooo!" Hange screamed as we officially made it out of Wall Rose and out into the open field.

"Oi! Hange." Levi called her name in annoyance. "You screaming like that will get us all killed."

"Sorry but I just love it that we're continuing on my research! I can't wait to see more titans" She said with a wide smile. I was shaking my head from Hange's craziness but then let out a light laugh.

From afar, Erwin raised his left arm and held them out. That was the signal to move into formation. We followed suit and immediately parted ways. I was placed in a three man squad with two soldiers, Hanz and Amira, who were new members of the Survey Corps. Based on the information I was given, they transferred to our unit from the Garrison. We are currently in the open field outside the walls so using our maneuvering devices was rendered useless.

"Let's go!" I shouted. Both of my squad mates responded in unison as we guide our horses across the grassy area.

As we ride through the open field, the only noise I heard were the galloping sounds of our horses. I could feel a nervous sweat rolling down the side of my cheek. _Something doesn't feel right. Although we are in an open field outside of Wall Rose, there should've been titans around. Yet, they're absent._

Up ahead, there was a small village, abandoned since the fall of Maria. I pulled on Atermis's harness leash to slow her pace. Hanz and Amira followed suit as we eyed the area.

Even though this village was abandoned, my gut was twisting and turning. I could feel my chest tighten and hands getting cold. _I don't like this feeling. Something seriously seems off._

"Something wrong?" Hanz asked, as if he knew that my mind was bothered.

"Yeah. Something doesn't seem right here." I answered with a low tone in my voice. "It's just a bit...off."

"What do you mean by that?" Amira asked.

I tapped my leg on Artemis and she stopped moving. I turned around and faced my two teammates. "I find it weird that our journey so far has been quiet. We were at an open field before and not a titan was in sight." I placed a finger to my chin and began to ponder. "If I think this is weird, I'm positive Commander Erwin is thinking the same."

Hanz and Amira exchanged looks and then stared at me with confused expressions. "What do you think this means?" They asked in unison.

"I don't really know. But we should be extra cautious. Be on the look out for anything suspicious."

With that, we moved on and continued our investigation. Some of these houses were in ruins while others were left untouched. I jumped out of Artemis and used my maneuver device to a rooftop. _Let's see why some of these houses were left undamaged._

I entered some of these homes and didn't find anything worth investigating. _If titans showed up around this village there should've been a gruesome scene. We would've seen blood...guts...dismembered body parts...but there's nothing._

After house hopping, I regrouped with Hanz and Amira. The two shook their heads, indicating that they had no luck as well.

"You're right Alice." Hanz spoke first. "Something does seem off. Everything in these houses seem untouched. Nothing is out of place."

"Just as I thought." I said, placing a finger to my chin once again. "Let's head back and report this to Commander Erwin."

As soon as I turned my back towards my two comrades, my eyes suddenly darted towards one of the homes in the far distance. My body froze at what I'm seeing.

There, I see a giant head with eyes just peeking at our direction.

 _TITAN!?_

A titan can clearly be seen at the distance. It's head just sticking out, hiding behind one of the houses. It's eyes were blank but showed a hint of interest in us.

I could distinctly hear my two comrades gasping. They must've realized what it was I was staring at. _This is bad. Really. REALLY bad._

Gripping onto Artemis's lead rope, I anxiously waited for the titan's next move. _Maybe it'll continue to stay hidden which can give us a chance to escape the area and regroup with the others. If not, the only thing I could think of is to try and kill it since Hanz and Amira are inexperienced in facing titans._

"Alice!"

Amira shouted my name and my train of thought was interrupted at the sight of the titan suddenly running towards us. It's mouth open wide and drool escaping the corner of it's lips.

"SHIT! RUN!"

Using the rope, I lightly kicked Artemis and the three of us started running away with our horses. I could hear the titan letting out a groan and it's footsteps coming closer to us.

"What do we do Alice!?" Hanz shouted as we continued to run away from the terrifying titan.

I could feel my heart racing and my mind clouded with millions of thoughts. "We...We kill it!" Steering Artemis to the right, Hanz and Amira followed behind and we ran behind some houses to give us a little hiding spot away from the titan. I immediately whipped out my flare gun and fired a red signal to notify any nearby comrades.

We quickly hopped off our horses and stood against the cold wooden house. I took out my blades to prepare myself. Hearing the titan's footsteps getting lighter, I strongly believe it has lost sight of us.

I took a peek at my comrades and could see the fear in their eyes. I nodded my head towards them, reassuring them that everything will be alright.

Just then, I hear the footsteps approaching the very house we were hiding behind from. I slightly tilted my head to observe the titan. Through my observation, this titan is 10 meters with a jaw that looks like it'll break you in half in a split second.

A nervous sweat rolled down the side of my face as I held a strong grip on my blade. The only way we can get out of this village safely is if we kill it. Looking back at my comrades they were holding onto their blades as well, but their hands were shaking. Placing a finger to my lips, I used my other hand to direct them on how we were going to kill the titan. Once they understood my direction, I hopped off the wall and used my 3D mobility gear to stand on the rooftop.

"Hey ugly!" I shouted at it.

The titan turned and stared at me with hungry eyes. It's jaw opened wide and made a loud snap, eager to eat me. It then proceed to flash a creepy grin that made me shiver. "I will not let you eat any one of us today!"

As it reached it's hand towards me, I dodged out of the way and ran up along it's arm. The titan's other hand tried to grab onto me but I shot a hook on it's cheek and reeled myself in before it can grab me. I kicked off from the titan's cheek and landed onto it's shoulder. There, I could see Hanz and Amira running back to their horses.

Taking in a deep breath, I took a leap of faith and glided my blades across the nape of the titan's neck. The titan then fell to the ground as I used my 3D gear and made my way to a safe location away from the fallen titan. Some of the titan's blood was on my hands and face as I smeared off some of it. "Told you I'm not letting you eat anyone today."

Just then, a faint cry was heard and I frantically searched for the sound. When I finally caught sight of my comrades, I was terrified at what I'm witnessing. Hanz and Amira were in the hands of two new titans!

 _Where did they come from!?_

"HELP US!" Hanz cried out. "ALICE HELP US!"

"AAHHHHHH! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" Amira shouted as the titan holding onto her broke her in half, thus killing her instantly.

"ALIIIIIICEE!" Hanz shouted my name once more as his torso was placed inside the titan's mouth and was bitten. Blood splattered all over the titan's body as I stood there in shock and horror.

"No..." I let go of my blades and dropped to my knees. Panic started swarming through my mind and I could feel myself hyperventilating.

 _I couldn't save them. I just stood here and watched them die. Now I'm all alone. I'm going to die now._

 _I am going to die..._

With my shaking, trembling hands, I used my flare gun once again and fired a purple signal.

Once the two titans finished eating Hanz and Amira, they then made their way towards me. My body felt numb. I couldn't move at all. As the two titans stopped their movement, they both stood in front of me, same creepy smile as the jaw titan.

With my body still feeling numb, all I could do was look up and stare back at the titans. "Well. This is it Alice." I began whispering to myself. "This is the end."

I could feel my body being lifted in the air as one of the titan slowly brought me closer to its' face. It's blank, dead expression locked with my look of fear and helplessness.

My body began to squirm from the titan's tight grip as my lungs felt like they were getting crushed. Breathing became difficult suddenly as my eyes continue to lock onto the titan's face.

It's smile widened once again.

Slowly, my body was brought close to the titan's mouth. Feelings of fear continued to swarm through my mind and I kept hitting the titan's hand and tried to free myself.

"LET GO OF ME!" I shouted, knowing that no one was going to hear me. "NO! NO!" Tears began streaming down my face.

The titan's mouth opened wide and my body was halfway in.

"Goodbye cruel, beautiful world." I said my final words and waited for my demise.

 **-SWASH-**

Sounds of blades slicing the nape of a titans neck can be heard and the titan's grip around me suddenly felt loose.

Once the grip was completely loose, I took a leap of faith and was falling towards the ground. My attention was suddenly caught by the sight of someone flying towards the other titan.

Before hitting the ground, I was swooped into someone's arms and brought to a safer area. I looked up to see who it was and it was none other than Commander Erwin Smith. "Erwin!?" I was really surprised to see him.

He gently placed me to the ground as I placed a hand to my chest to slow my breathing. _I must look like a mess right now._ I looked at my Commander once more and he placed his hands on my shoulders suddenly.

"Are you alright Alice!?"

I was startled by the concern in his voice. It wasn't like his usual stoic expression. "Y-Yes sir..." He then gripped onto my shoulders tighter, causing me to tense a bit more, and pulled me into a hug. This caused me to gasp in surprise and eyes to widen. "E-Erwin?"

"I'm so glad you're okay Alice."

"Is everything okay Commander?" I asked, still feeling confused about his sudden behavior.

After a long minute of silence and hugging, which I started feeling awkward about, Commander Erwin finally sighed in relief and let go of me. "My apologies for my behavior." Erwin finally spoke. "I'm not sure what got to me when I saw you in the hands of that titan."

A warm smiled crept up my face. _How kind of Erwin to care for his friend._ "No need to apologize Erwin. I'm just glad someone came to save me. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here."

Erwin oddly returned the smile and I couldn't help but to chuckle at it. "I'm serious. I'm thankful Erwin."

"It's no problem. I'd do anything for you."

His response surprised me. It's something I would _never_ hear Erwin say. It sort of gives me a vibe that Erwin may have special feelings for me.

 _Does Erwin have feelings for me? Or am I just being crazy since I had a near death experience?_

My train of thought was interrupted with Artemis running back towards the two of us. She neighed in a frightened way. A reaction I would never see from her.

"Artemis!" I called out to my horse. "What's wrong girl? Don't worry. I'm here." I slowly walked up to her and stroked her nose. This got her to calm down slightly as she rubbed her head against mine, indicating that she was glad to see me. "I'm glad to see you too girl."

"I found her running around." Erwin spoke. "That was how I was able to save you on time."

"Good girl." I said to Artemis. I'm glad I trained her well to seek help whenever I'm in danger. "You'll get a good meal when we get back."

After stroking her nose one last time, I turned around and faced Erwin. There was something wrong. "Something wrong Commander?"

"We need to go back."

"Go back?"

"Yes."

"Why sir? Is our expedition completed?"

"No. There is a change of plan."

"Did something happen Commander?"

Erwin didn't respond immediately. Instead, he was silent and closed his eyes to brainstorm. "I believe something is happening back at Wall Rose."

My eyes widened at this. "Sir. I'm sure you see this too but...I found it strange during our expedition on the lack of titan sightings. I had this off feeling for a while."

Erwin nodded his head in agreement. "I had this feeling too Alice. I came to the conclusion that something is happening to Wall Rose. My gut instinct is telling me that we may be under attack and us leaving was the perfect opportunity for this attack."

"W-What? We must go Erwin!"

With that, the two of us hopped onto our horses and I followed Erwin to regroup with the others. Soon, I was with my comrades and Levi.

"Erwin." Levi spoke first as soon as we all regrouped together. "I heard reports of Wall Rose being under attack. Trost District."

That cold feeling I had earlier returned. My gut started twisting knots again and cold sweat rolled down my cheek. _Bad feeling. BAD FEELING._

"We must head back immediately." Erwin commanded.

"YES SIR!" We all shouted in unison.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello fellow readers,**

 **After a (2 or 3?) year long hiatus, I have finally decided to continue with this Levi story. I originally thought about abandoning this because I didn't like the plot I had in mind. After watching the second season of the Anime series, I found the inspiration to continue this story.**

 **However, I have revised THE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. So before reading this chapter, PLEASE RE-READ the first nine chapters in order to understand where the story is going. I have taken out and added in a lot of new content which will probably make the story a bit better for future chapters.**

 **I do apologize for such a long hiatus. I hope this works out in the end.**

* * *

 **This chapter has been rewritten/revised for improvement purposes. All mistakes are my OWN.**

 **I do not own Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin. All credit goes to Hajime Isayama.**

* * *

Fear. Worryness. Anxiety.

Those are what I'm feeling since the news of Wall Rose being under attack.

What I'm actually worried about are the kids and the rest of the graduating cadets. They just finished their training today. They were supposed to do some minimal labor for the other troops. They shouldn't be defending humanity right away. I don't think they're mentally prepared for it.

"Something wrong Alice?" Levi asked, his horse riding alongside mine.

I looked at my Captain and slightly frowned. "I don't know Heichou. I just have a really bad feeling. Just unsure what it is exactly."

"Erwin has a bad feeling as well."

"I know."

As we got close to Wall Rose, Trost, we were greeted with a hole big enough for titans to get in. The hole was the same size as the one on Wall Maria, Shinganshina District. The hole caused by the Colossal Titan. Where is that titan? Disappeared again just like before?

I could hear Petra let out a gasp. I can't blame her. This is happening all over again. _Five years later._

Once again, titans of different sizes are entering through that hole. Erwin didn't say anything. Instead, he raised his right arm to signal us to attack and defend. With that, we all broke off in pairs and headed separate ways. I ended up with Captain Levi as we rode faster down Wall Rose to seek Garrison Troops to assist us. We managed to find some troops with a harness machine to lift up our horses on top of the wall, that way we don't have to risk going through that hole caused by the Colossal Titan.

Levi and I used our mobility gear to reach up the wall as we let the Garrison do their job in retrieving our horses. "We will bring your horses back to your headquarter stables. We were ordered by Commander Pixis to do so." Said one of the Garrison soldier.

We nodded our heads in understanding and immediately entered Trost District. The sight of this area was just as horrendous as it was five years ago in my home district. There were bodies everywhere. Bodies of Garrison troops. Bodies of cadets from different corps. As Levi and I continued to patrol Trost with caution, we bumped into Hannes.

"Alice!" Hannes shouted my name as soon as we saw each other. He maneuvered his way towards the two of us as we saluted him.

"What exactly happened here Hannes?" I asked as calmly as I could. Freaking out would not do any good here.

"Moments after the Survey Corps went to their expedition, reports of the Colossal Titan was seen and kicked the wall. We've been breached once again."

Although I heard of this news already, I still feel shocked that this happened. This must be why there were titans seen when we were in the open field. What the Colossal Titan had done must've attracted all the other titans to be here. This is bad.

"Whose ordered to defend Trost?" Levi asked.

That question made me nervous. I was scared to hear the answer.

"Us Garrisons and the graduated trainees." Hannes answered. Of course, he didn't sound too happy saying that.

My hand turned into a fist and I could feel my nails digging into my skin. _Those young cadets. They just finished today. Now, they're out there to their deaths._

"Have you seen Armin, Mikasa or Eren?"

I looked at Hannes in hope that he has seen him. Unfortunately, the look on his face didn't give me the answer I want. "I'm sorry Alice. Haven't seen them at all."

My mind was filled with worry once again as I held a hand to my chest to ease my mind. Then, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked to see that it was Levi's hand. "Don't worry Arlet. Your kids are going to be fine."

I couldn't help but to let out a slight smile. I was glad to hear Levi reassuring me about the kids. _I pray they're okay though. I REALLY do pray._

"I need to head back. I've been assigned to the cannons. Be careful Alice." Hannes said as he saluted towards us and made his way.

"Let's go Alice."

"Yes Captain."

With that, the two of us continued down the district to kill any titan on sight. More corpses can be seen as the body count continue to increase. With each body that Levi and I passed by, one corpse caused me to stop and approach it.

"This is unbelievable." I whispered to myself.

I kneel towards the corpse and examined the body. This body was devoured halfway. Lower half of the body was gone. Only the torso can be seen. It's organs stuck out and the blood was dry. _Must've died early..._

If I remember clearly, this body belonged to a cadet. One of my cadets.

"Do you know this kid?" Levi asked.

"Yes." I responded softly. "This body belonged to a cadet from my trainee corp. His name was Franz."

Franz was a funny kid during the academy. He was always bright around his fellow comrades and was intelligent as well. One odd thing about Franz's corpse is that his face looked peaceful. He had a smirk on his face. _As if he was happy to have saved someone._

"Let's keep moving." Levi said as he used the edge of his blade to nudge me.

Without saying another word, I left the corpse and the two of us continued maneuvering deep within Trost District. As we got closer to the gaping hole caused by the Colossal Titan, I noticed one particular titan at a distance. There was a titan about 6-7 meters walking down the district with a gigantic boulder on it's shoulder. This titan was different than the others. It was unique, a variant. I also noticed other soldiers moving around the titan, as if they were guarding or protecting it.

 _What is this titan doing with that gigantic boulder? Why are there others protecting this titan? What exactly is going on? Was there a plan I'm not aware of?_

"How interesting." Levi said, showing some interest in trying to understand what is going on.

I wanted to chime in but was interrupted with sights of titans around the area. They were all approaching that unique titan for some reason. Levi and I quickly did our jobs in eliminating any titan that tried to go near the special titan.

"Miss Alice!" I heard someone call my name.

I looked around to see who it was and I was approached by Conny Springer, a fellow cadet from the 104th trainee corp. He was accompanied by other cadets from the academy.

"Hello Conny."

They all saluted towards Levi and I while we did the same. "Care to explain what's going on here?"

"This whole situation happened since morning Alice." said Jean Kirstein, the other cadet.

"What about that titan?" I asked, pointing at the unique one.

All the other cadets looked at the ground. They seemed as if they were afraid to give me an answer.

"You heard her." Levi spoke. "Answer."

Annie Leonhart was the one to answer without hesitation. "It's Eren."

My eyes widened in shock and I looked towards the unique titan. "I-I don't understand." I began to speak, startled from Annie's answer. "How is that Eren? It's a titan!"

 _What does she mean that's Eren? It doesn't make sense to me. How is that even possible!?_

"She's correct. That titan is Eren." Conny said, as if I should already understand the situation.

Levi had a look on annoyance on his face as he let out a sigh. "Oi." He then crossed his arms. "Explain."

"It's better to ask Mikasa and Armin." Jean said as he turned his head and pointed towards their direction.

The unique titan, or supposedly Eren, was still holding onto the gigantic boulder and was making its way to the hole. At a distance, I can distinctly see Armin and Mikasa following after Titan Eren.

As I continued to stand there and stare, Titan Eren eventually reached to the gaping hole in the wall and plugged it with the gigantic boulder. Suddenly, shouts of joy were heard and a green smoke signal was fired into the air. Seeing the green smoke indicated that it was a victory.

I, however, am still confused at what exactly is going on and what was the plan that occurred.

 _Just what the hell exactly happened?_

Without another word, I just let my own body move on its own. I ended up maneuvering myself towards the unique titan.

"Alice!"

I distinctly hear Levi calling out to me but I ignored him. _I still don't understand how on earth Eren turned out to be a titan. It really doesn't make sense to me. It's like this new information will not comprehend with my brain. Is it really Eren?_

The moment I landed on top of a roof nearest to the wall, I could clearly see the unique titan. It's body was already decomposing. Steam was emitting around it's body. I can also see Mikasa and Armin running towards Titan Eren's decomposing body. _Where is Eren?_

Mikasa ran towards the nape of the neck and pulled out a body from there. It wasn't just a random body, Eren's body. He was unconscious and Mikasa and holding onto him. _Is that how the titan was Eren? Was Eren controlling that titan the whole time? How is that possible?_

"What the hell?" I heard Levi said as he landed next to me and stood there.

"My exact question Heichou."

We continue to stand there and watch as Mikasa and Armin continue to cautiously move Eren's body away from the decomposing titan body. The steam was still emitting around the titan's body but this time, it was coming out even more which probably caused a visual disadvantage for the kids.

As I eyed the area, I see two titans running towards the kids. They were coming from the other side. Unfortunately, Mikasa and Armin can't see them.

"Armin! Mikasa!"

I shouted their names and hopped off the roof. Using my mobility gear, I kept pressing the gas button and flew as fast as I could towards the two titans. As soon as the titans were close to them, I took out my blades and swung them. I used the momentum to spin as much as I could and slashed the nape of their necks in time. The blood of the titans splattered and I could feel some of it getting on me. I used my sleeve to wipe off the blood on my face and made my way towards Mikasa and Armin.

"Alice!" I heard Mikasa cried out.

Levi showed up behind me a minute later as I stood in front of the kids. Looking at Eren, the boy was still unconscious. Mikasa was holding onto him, hugging him to protect him. I then looked at Armin and he had an expression I couldn't explain. I could tell he seemed relief to see me but he also seemed a bit off.

I am relief as well to see that the three kids are safe. I just still don't understand at what's going on.

"Thank goodness you're here Sis." Armin said quietly.

I loosened the grip on my blades and put them away. I didn't say anything. I'm still lost at words. _I need an explanation. This is all getting too weird. This is one heck of a day. There are just too many questions I have in mind and none of this is making sense._

"Explain. NOW."

I need to know the answers.


End file.
